Tight cop cover for smooth Padmaavat screening

KOLHAPUR: Screening of Padmaavat continued in

Kolhapur

amid tight police security outside theatres.

Theatre owners had cancelled the screening of the first show on Thursday to avoid any untoward incident and started screening of the movie from afternoon. Police officials said the situation is under control and police patrolling vehicles are moving around the city to keep a watch on activities near theatres.

Prashant Amrutkar, deputy superintendent of police, Kolhapur city division said, “We have provided security to all the theatres in the city that are screening Padmaavat movie. The situation was tense at some places in the morning but we have ensured that peace prevails. The screening of the movie continues uninterrupted.”

Along with providing security, the beat marshals and police patrolling vans have ensured that no untoward incident is reported, he said.

“We have also taken precautionary measures by warning the organisations that were opposing the screening of the movie. Strict action will be taken against them if they try to disrupt the law and order in the city,” he said.

A theatre owner said that though the situation was normal, they decided to not screen the first show in the morning to avoid any untoward incident. “We, however, started screening the show from afternoon. Protesters approached a theatre in city and removed a poster of the movie. Apart from this, the situation is normal. We have not come across any opposition from any group,” said a theatre owner in city, who is screening the movie.

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed movie is based on 16th-Century Sufi poet

Malik Muhammad Jayasi

's epic poem 'Padmavat'. It revolves around the battle between Maharawal Ratan Singh of Mewar and

Sultan Alauddin Khilji

. Shooting of some part of the movie was done at

Panhala

area of the district and unidentified persons had burnt the set of the movie there in March 2017.