Bhansali: Never understood what the protest was about

'It's all bizarre.'
'The flare-up, the film industry's silence, the way Padmaavat was hounded, and now this sudden calming down of nerves after the film is released.'

The Karni Sena finally decided to withdraw its protest against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat on Saturday, February 3.

Doing a 360-degree turnaround, the Sena now say Padmaavat glorifies the Rajput community and that they would now be helping the film get a release in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Bhansali is understandably circumspect on the issue.

"I never understood what the protest was all about," Bhansali says. "I still don't understand. I am just happy that the film has been released and appreciated widely."

"Of course, we'd like our film to release in the states where it has been so far not been released. Isn't that the least we can expect after all we've gone through?"

While Bhansali will say no more, a team member close to the film wonders why the Karni Sena suddenly decided to calm down.

"It's all bizarre. The flare-up, the film industry's silence, the way Padmaavat was hounded," says the source, "and now this sudden calming down of nerves after the film is released."