Indian security tight ahead of film release

Security has been tightened in parts of India ahead of the release of a Bollywood film which has generated months of violent protests.

Schools have been shut in a Delhi suburb following an attack on a school bus, and cinemas in several states say they will not be screening the film.

Hardline Hindu groups allege Padmaavat is disrespectful of their culture because it depicts a romance between a Hindu queen and a Muslim king.


Its release was delayed for two months.

Protesters have been burning vehicles and attacking cinemas in several states, demanding the film not be released.

On Wednesday, footage of mobs attacking a school bus near the capital caused outrage.No children were injured in the incident, but protesters burned other buses, and have also vandalised cinemas over the last few days.

Many theatres across India have said that they will not screen the film, fearing further violence.

The Supreme Court rejected a bid by four states which wanted the film banned for security reasons, saying it was their responsibility to ensure law and order.

What is the dispute about?
Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh play the lead roles.

The film tells the story of 14th Century Muslim emperor Alauddin Khilji's attack on a kingdom after he was smitten by the beauty of its queen, Padmavati, who belonged to the Hindu Rajput caste.

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Hindu groups and a Rajput caste organisation allege that the movie includes an intimate scene in which the Muslim king dreams of becoming intimate with the Hindu queen.

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has said the film does not feature such a "dream sequence" at all.

But rumours of such a scene were enough to enrage right-wing Hindu groups.

Is the film historically accurate?
While Khilji is a historical figure, historians believe that Padmavati is fictional.

The name of the queen, and the plot of the film, are believed to be based on an epic poem, Padmaavat, by 16th-Century poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi.

A sign in a Gujarat cinema saying that it is not screening Padmaavat
Image caption
Some cinema owners are not screening the film as they fear more violence
A car burns during a protest against the release of Bollywood movie "Padmavat", in Bhopal on 24 January 2018.Image copyrightEPA
Image caption
The film has sparked angry protests for months
The poem extols the virtue of Padmavati who committed sati to protect her honour from Khilji who had killed her husband, the Rajput king, in a battle.

Sati, the practice of a widow immolating herself on her husband's funeral pyre, is believed to have originated some 700 years ago among the ruling class or Rajputs in India.

Women in the community burnt themselves after their men were defeated in battles to avoid being taken by the victors. But it came to be seen as a measure of wifely devotion in later years.