Madhya Pradesh minister Narottam Mishra on Wednesday threatened the release of Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone's movie "Pathaan" if certain scenes featuring her are not removed or at least "edited."
Although the official premiere is only scheduled for January 25, the Madhya Pradesh home minister objected to Padukone's outfit seen in a theme song to the movie. In the dance number, named "Besharam Rang" that premiered on television on Tuesday, Padukone can be seen wearing a revealing saffron-colored bikini.
Notably, saffron has long been associated with the state and federally governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In fact, the BJP's poll symbol is a saffron-colored lotus.
In this regard, it's worth mentioning that Mishra is often called No.2 in the party in Madhya Pradesh, after state chief Shivraj Singh Chauhan.
"I would request to [edit] the scenes and her (Padukone's) costumes (in the song), otherwise, whether this film should be allowed in Madhya Pradesh or not will be a question to consider," Mishra told reporters in the state's Indore city.
This is, however, not the first time Mishra has threatened legal action against Hindi moviemakers.
Just a few months ago, the minister hit out at the Bollywood movie Adipurush's makers, based on the Hindu epic Ramayana, after he claimed that the film portrayed religious figures in the "wrong" light.