Karni Sena members offered rose to people for not watching Padmaavat in Lucknow

At a time when the nation is witnessing violent protests against the Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus ‘Padmaavat’ at various places, cinema goers at Lucknow’s Novelty Cinema were a surprised lot today. The Shri Rajput Karni Sena, which is leading protests against Padmaavat across the country, chose to display their opposition to the film in a different style.

Lucknow, also hailed as the City of Tehzeeb (etiquette), saw the Karni Sena members protesting against the movie by presenting roses to people. According to ANI, members of the Sena, on Thursday (January 25), gathered at Lucknow’s Novelty cinema, and presented roses to people appealing them not to watch the film. One of the protesters even claimed to compensate the ticket money of people if they had already bought it.

The ‘soft protest approach’ by the Karni Sena Members comes after a school bus with kids on board was attacked yesterday by a group of protesters in Gurugram, Haryana. Although the Sena has denied their involvement in the horrific incident, the group has been facing a backlash by the social media and is being criticised on many TV channels.

Uttar Pradesh police have come hard on protesters against the movie. Yesterday, security at Wave Cinema Hall in Lucknow was tightened after sloganeering against the movie by a group of protesters. Reportedly, the states of Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Gujarat have tightened the security in the areas nearby theatres after witnessing violent protests against the movie.

A man in Varanasi, trying to self-immolate himself in protest against the movie outside a cinema hall was also detained earlier today. Incidents of protesters bandishing swords, burning tires and conducting bike rallies have also been reported since today morning. Clashes between the police and Bajrang Dal workers outside a cinema hall in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand were also reported.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Padmaavat, which hit the theatre today, is facing nation-wide protests. The film-maker has been accused of distorting the history and portraying Rani Padmavati in bad light by many groups. The movie stars Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh.