NEW DELHI: A Bollywood director has been assaulted on set by a group protesting his new movie “Padmavati,” which they claim distorts historical facts about their clan.
Video shows protesters from a group called the Rajput Karni Sena slapping director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and pulling his hair as filming was taking place at a fort in Jaipur on Friday.
The protesters, who also vandalized the set, accuse Bhansali of twisting historical facts by romantically linking a Rajput queen and a Muslim ruler in the movie, according to local media.
The Rajputs were a Hindu warrior clan that historically ruled over kingdoms in Western India.
The actress playing the Rajput queen, Deepika Padukone, defended the movie on Saturday.
“I can assure you that there is absolutely no distortion of history,” she tweeted.
“Our only endeavour is & has always been to share with the world the story of this courageous & powerful woman in the purest form there is.”
Narayan Singh, who claims to be the local leader of Karni Sena, told the Press Trust of India that the group had warned the filmmaker against presenting “wrong facts,” but he stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack.
“We gathered there and protested,” he said, adding there were also others watching the filming.
“Someone from the mob slapped him and pulled his hair,” he added.
Local police said five men were initially detained over the incident but had been released.
Bollywood director attacked on set by protesters
Bollywood director attacked on set by protesters
Small dog sole survivor of Peru helicopter crash that killed 15
- Rescue workers found the caramel-colored dog among the twisted wreckage of the Mi-17 helicopter
- Local media reported that the dog appeared OK, but as a precaution was taken to a veterinary clinic
LIMA: The only survivor of a military helicopter crash in southern Peru that killed 15 people was a small dog belonging to a colonel who was among the passengers, an air force source told AFP Tuesday.
Rescue workers found the caramel-colored dog among the twisted wreckage of the Mi-17 helicopter that crashed Sunday. It was lying next to the body of its owner, Col. Javier Nole, 50, who was on board with his wife and two daughters.
“It’s Col. Nole’s pet; it’s the only survivor,” the source, who requested anonymity, told AFP.
Local media reported that the dog appeared OK, but as a precaution was taken to a veterinary clinic.
Seven children were among the 15 fatalities when the Russian-made aircraft crashed in the Arequipa region. The helicopter had been recently deployed in rescue operations for victims of floods there.
It had taken off from the city of Pisco, in the Ica region. Rescuers located the wreckage on Monday just over 300 kilometers (186 miles) away near Chala Viejo, a town close to the Pacific coast in Arequipa.
The air force has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
