Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film Padmaavat has been caught in troubles after trouble. Following the name change and protests across some states, the film still doesn’t see a smooth release guaranteed. Despite the Supreme Court giving the order for screening the movie in all states, the fringe group protests have been only rising. But now three days before the release, Karni Sena has agreed to watch the film before the release on the director’s invite.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s production house had written to the Karni Sena and the Rajput Sabha in Jaipur on January 20, inviting them to watch the film. In the letter, Bhansali assured, "film showcases the honour and valour of the Rajput community and rani Padmavati is portrayed with utmost dignity and respect.” The Karni Sena have responded to the invitation. “We are ready to watch the film,” Karni Sena leader Lokendra Singh Kalvi told PTI. “We never said we will not watch the film,” he added.

This reply by the group seems a ray of hope for the producers as of now. After almost a year long of protests against the film and creating the turmoil, the Karni Sena seems to be softening its stand after the director’s assurance. The historical drama mired in controversies was even watched by a group of historians to see if things were distorted from reality. A few changes were made to the scenes, the big change being in the name of the film itself from Padmavati to Padmaavat.

Due to the intensity of the protests, the governments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, however, said they will not screen Padmaavat. But the Supreme Court dismissed their orders on January 18. Following this, there were more protests and threats to the film. It remains to be seen how the Karni Sena will finally react to the film after watching it. Let’s await the fate of the film. The film starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh is supposed to release on January 25, 2018. Meanwhile, the advance bookings and predictions of Padmaavat are showing good signs.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 23, 2018 11:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).