Notably, last time Deepika Padukone had clashed with anyone at the BO, she had ruined the rival’s hit parade. Yes, it was Shah Rukh Khan who saw immense success at BO fading as Padukone film kept gaining on him – they had released almost simultaneously. The film was Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale and it had scripted a historic BO clash. Now, it seems, she is all set to hit Akshay Kumar where it hurts. Days after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) decided to give Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmavati” a UA certificate while suggesting a change in the film’s title, it is learnt that the film may release on January 26. What is more critical is the fact that Akshay’s Padman is expected to release on January 25! With much controversy attached, Padmavati has made it to the top headlines in past two months, and this, has given huge publicity for the film. With speculations rife about the release date, producers of the other films lined up for January last week and February are in a panic as the film has some heavyweight actors. According to Prernaa Arora, the co-producer Pad Man, it would be foolhardy to release her films on the same day as Padmavati, as per Bollywood Hungama. Now that battle lines have been drawn, may the better actor/actress win? Surely, fans will decide the course of this rivalry. However, the final date for Padmavati has not been announced. Some reports are also suggesting February 9!

Earlier, actor Shahid Kapoor had said that he is hopeful that there would be clarity on the release of his controversy-ridden film “Padmavati” by end of December. CBFC had suggested that film’s title to be changed to “Padmavat”. According to a release issued by the CBFC, the board had a meeting of their examining committee on December 28 and decided to give the film a “UA certification along with some modifications and likely change of the film’s title on the basis the attributed material/creative source”. The filmmakers, Bhansali Productions, in a written communication to CBFC, had also requested that a panel of historians/academicians and members of the Rajput community view the film.

“The film was approached with a balanced view keeping in mind both the filmmakers and the society,” CBFC had said. Considering the complexities and concerns around the film, the CBFC appointed a “special panel to add perspective to the final decision of the censor board’s official committee.” The special panel included Arvind Singh from Udaipur, Dr Chandramani Singh and professor K K Singh of the Jaipur University.

The Shree Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena on Friday had again demanded a ban on “Padmavati” after slamming Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and censor board chief Prasoon Joshi for allowing its release with a U/A certificate. “I want to ask the central government what benefits will they get by supporting this movie? All the Hindu parties from whom we learnt about Hinduism are quiet on this film,” Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, President of Karni Sena, told the media.