Padmaavat banned in Malaysia on religious grounds

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons, even after faring well at the box office in its first week. The film, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, is now banned in Malaysia on religious grounds. 

The Film Censorship Board of Malaysia's chairman Mohammad Zamberi Abdul Aziz said in a media statement, “Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country. The storyline of the film touches on the sensitivities of Islam. That in itself is a matter of grave concern in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country.” 

Padmaavat is being criticized by a section of the audience for demonizing the character of Alauddin Khilji, played by Singh. The film presents him as a lecherous, hedonistic character maniacal in his actions. This, perhaps, could be the reason the film has not been passed by the Malaysian censor board.

Interestingly, the film was cleared with zero cuts in Pakistan, also an Islamic state.

Padmaavat is doing well at the box office in India and has earned Rs124 crore so far.