Policemen guard a cinema hall during screening of Padmaavat. (TNN file photo)

UDAIPUR: Former Lok Sabha MP and the scion of the erstwhile Mewar royal family , Maharana Mahendra Singh, has disclosed that "someone" approached him and his son with a hefty sum of money to secure the royal family's go-ahead for the release of controversial ' Padmaavat ' earlier this year.

'Padmaavat', a film on the life of queen Padmavati, wife of the 13th century Rajput ruler Rawal Ratan Singh, was opposed by members of the community in several states. While the film was allowed to be released in some states after some modification and emphasis by its director Sanjay Leela Bhansali that it was a work of fiction, 'Padmaavat' continues to be banned in Rajasthan. Singh, 77, is the senior most living descendant of Rawal Ratan Singh.

The erstwhile Mewar royal family, along with other members of the Rajput community, had also opposed release of 'Padmaavat' earlier this year.

Singh told TOI: "There was an unforgivable scene when someone came to me with the offer that if I stopped objecting to the film they would give me a lot of money. I could have nearly slapped the man and thrown him out. I am sorry about this, I am not a violent person."

However, Singh, former MP from Chittorgarh, did not reveal the identity of the person or the amount offered. He also said the makers of the film and the censor board approached him to seek his sanction for the film but the move was belated.

"The filmmakers themselves approached us. That was before the movie release. Censor board people came to us. I said it's too late. Finally, I told them, 'If we are going to make a suggestion, how much of it you are going to accept?' They bungled up. We were going into unspoken impasse. There was a breakdown," he said.

Singh said the objection to the movie was not just by Rajputs but all sections of society in the Mewar and neighbourhood regions. "I have not seen the movie. I am not going to see it either. From the reports I got, there are still scenes objectionable. People thought there was nonsense in the movie which is not going to be liked," he said.



In Video: Mewar royal was offered hefty sum to OK 'Padmaavat'