Karni Sena disrupts shoot of Akshay Kumar’s Prithviraj 

The Karni Sena, a fringe outfit in Rajasthan that protested against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, has now asked the makers of Prithviraj to not tamper with historical facts.

Produced by Yash Raj Films, Prithviraj is a biopic of Chahamanas dynasty ruler Prithviraj Chauhan, which stars Akshay Kumar in the titular role and Manushi Chillar playing the female lead. 

According to reports, the Karni Sena on Saturday caused a stir on the sets of Prithviraj near a village in Jaipur. Members of the outfit, led by their national president Mahipal Singh Makrana, allegedly asked director Chandraprakash Dwivedi to halt shooting. While Chandraprakash assured them that the film does not alter historical facts, the Sena demanded written assurance, reports claim. Akshay was not shooting when the incident happened. 

In early 2017, the Karni Sena had assaulted Sanjay Leela Bhansali and vandalised the sets of Padmaavat (then titled Padmavati) at Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur. The group had alleged the film was distorting history and portraying the legendary queen in a bad light. As the film neared release, violent protests erupted across North India, including threats of physical mutilation against lead actor Deepika Padukone. Similar claims of historical distortion were made by the group against Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi.