Karnataka to provide security to ‘Padmavati’ actor Deepika Padukone and her family in Bengaluru
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah demanded action against those threatening the ‘globally-renowned artist’.
Karnataka Home Affairs Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Monday wrote to the state director general of police, asking him to ensure protection to actor Deepika Padukone and her family in Bengaluru, ANI reported.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asked his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar to take stringent action against those threatening Padukone for her role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati, PTI reported.
Padmavati, starring Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, has been in the midst of a controversy since January, with Rajput groups and others accusing Bhansali of distorting history.
“I condemn the culture of intolerance and hate perpetuated by the BJP,” Siddaramaiah said on Twitter. “Karnataka stands with Deepika Padukone. She is a globally-renowned artist from our state.”
Siddaramaiah made the statement a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief media coordinator for Haryana, Suraj Pal Amu, announced a Rs 10-crore reward for anyone who beheads Padukone and Bhansali. The National Commission for Women on Monday summoned Amu and asked the Haryana Police to “take appropriate action in accordance with the law”.
In January, members of the Rajput Karni Sena had assaulted Bhansali on the movie’s set in Jaipur. Several outfits have protested against Padmavati, which is based on the epic poem Padmavat and on the legend that Alauddin Khijli (Ranveer Singh) invades Chittor on orders to conquer the kingdom and the queen, Padmini (Deepika Padukone).