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Bhansali has been facing the ire of various groups and self-styled experts on what they term as 'erroneous' depiction of Rajput queen Rani Padmavati. The Shri Rajput Karni Sena on Wednesday called for a 'Bharat Bandh' (shutdown) on December 1 if Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie "Padmavati" releases on that date, while the Maharashtra government provided a precautionary security cover for the filmmaker in view of the increasing controversies and growing threats. "We will hold rallies across the country, including Gurugram, Patna, Lucknow and Bhopal before the release date," Lokendra Singh Kalvi, founder-patron of the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, an organisation of the Rajput community, told media persons in Jaipur. He said all communities, including Muslims, supported the Sena on the issue. "We demand a complete ban on the film. Now, we don't want any pre-screening of the movie. All we want is a ban," he said. He cl...

It was a mixed bag for  Bollywood in 2015  where content-driven films found space while superstars-led movies earned big bucks, with the year ending on a high note after the success of Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer “Dilwale” and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Bajirao Mastani”. Stars were seen experimenting in the big budget format as Salman ditched his action-man image to play a simpleton in “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”. He had another hit in “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo”, which was big on nostalgia so was Shah Rukh’s box office outing “Dilwale”, whose promotions were centered around his iconic chemistry with Kajol. The unusual father-daughter chemistry of Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in “Piku” was loved by the audience, Akshay Kumar’s thriller “Baby”, based on covet operations and S S Rajamouli’s epic historical film “Baahubali” too received appreciation from people. Ajay Devgn-starrer “Drishyam” was also a major success. The year, however, truly belonged to Deepika as she had t...

Actress Priyanka Chopra is off on a “much needed” vacation post her debut outing in international TV show “Quantico” and her stint as Kashibai in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “ Bajirao Mastani ”.  The 33-year-old former Miss World had a busy schedule this year.  “Off off and away… Much needed… Wishing everyone wonderful holidays… Feel loved and smile…,” Priyanka posted on Twitter.  The actress is all praise for Bhansali, who also worked with her in “Mary Kom”.  “Admiration always.. What an artiste you are #sanjayLeelaBhansali love you always. 

With Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani releasing simultaneously on pre-Christmas weekend,  Shah Rukh Khan  and Sanjay Leela Bhansali are set for a major box office clash. But this is not the first time one of India’s top actors and one of India’s finest directors are fighting it out on the big screen. In 2007, Khan’s Om Shanti Om, a reincarnation drama with all the trappings of a masala flick, trounced Bhansali’sSaawariya, an interpretation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s White Nights. With Rs 90-crore business, OSO became one of the year’s highest-grossing movies. On the other hand, Saawariya failed to recover money. While history seems to be in favour of King Khan, no one can rule out Bhansali who has directed blockbusters likeDevdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Both the movies have been mounted on Rs 100-crore-plus budget and both sides have put up unprecedented marketing campaigns, leading to a nail-biting contest. Analysts believe both the films have what it takes to be a top-grosser ...