Watch: No dream sequence between Alauddin Khilji and Padmavati, says Bhansali

His film is less than a month away from release, but the bigger headache for Sanjay Leela Bhansali is to assure those agitating against it that the film does not have any objectionable content that will hurt Rajput pride. The Padmavati director posted a video on YouTube to allay any such fear.

“I have made this film Padmavati with sincerity, responsibility and hard work," Bhansali said in the video. "I have always been inspired by the story of Rani Padmavati. This film honours her bravery, sacrifice.

"Due to some rumours, this film has been mired in controversy, Rumour is that there is a dream sequence between Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji. I have denied this rumour earlier, even denied it in writing, and through this video I'm saying again, there is no such scene between Padmavati and Khilji that can hurt any sentiments. We have taken care to respect the pride and sentiments of Rajputs.”

Padmavati has faced trouble after a fringe group called the Shri Rajput Karni Sena ransacked the sets first in Rajasthan and then in Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Bhansali was also attacked in the first instance.

Apart from such fringe groups,  the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, too, raised the issue when it wrote to the Election Commission requesting a ban, or at least a delay in the film's release, on the grounds that it does not want any law-and-order problem during the Gujarat assembly election next month. 

“We have received representations from the Kshatriya community opposing any purported distortion of history and the character of Rani Padmavati in the movie," Gujarat BJP vice-president IK Jadeja told The Times of India newspaper. "History says Padmavati never met Alauddin Khilji."

Watch Bhansali’s earnest plea below: 

Padmavati is set to be released on 1 December 2017.