Padmavati won’t be hitting the theaters in 2017! Though the producers haven’t confirmed a date yet, it’s definite that the film will release in 2018, as Bollywood Hungama reports. Deferring the release date of Padmavati wasn’t, director, Bhansali’s decision but the producers who’d taken this decision. SLB was just informed about the same.

As the source further informs, Bhansali was given the news over the call and the producers said that they would fix the release-

“for a more suitable Friday in the next couple of months.” SLB said, ‘Ok,’ and disconnected the phone.

The source also added-

“No explanation was given, none demanded by SLB. The fight has gone out of his spirit. He has poured his blood, sweat and tears in Padmavati. He is now done. Now he has left the matter in the hands of his very capable producers Viacom 18 Motion Pictures,” says an informed source.

It was the complete failure of attempts to pacify the protesters, even after SLB recorded a video vowing there was nothing even remotely slanderous in his film, that had begun to worry Viacom and lead to the decision of postponing the film.
The source, as Bollywood Hungama reports, says that-

“The concern was not just restricted to the Indian bosses at Viacom. It went all the way to the headquarters in the US.”

Apparently, the command to defer release came from the headquarters after all attempts to assuage suspicion about the Padmavati content failed. Says the source-

“The final straw was the ‘special’ screening of Padmavati for two television journalists (Arnab Goswami, Rajat Shama). On Friday Shobha Sant the CEO of Bhansali Production flew to Delhi to screen Padmavati for Arnab Goswami and Rajat Sharma. The protesters wouldn’t buy Arnab’s braggadocio. His taunting ‘I’ve-seen-THE FILM-you-haven’t’ approach simply backfired. Worse of all the CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi turned his face away from the glare of the controversy, berating the Padmavati team for jumping the gun and showing the film to key media persons before the CBFC.”

But, a source close to the producers of the film says that the CBFC is not to be blamed for the delay-

“Prasoon Joshi is clearly under pressure. It was very clear to Viacom 18 that they would not be allowed to release the film before the Gujarat elections. Rather than wait for one more week and let the publicity costs escalate for Viacom, ordered by the high command, decided to pull the plug on the release without further delay.”

The production house is in no hurry to announce the new release date and will do the same keeping the circumstances in mind. The Viacom source says,

 “We are in no hurry to announce the new date, we will do so only after gauging the situation.”

Hope all goes well for the cast and crew and things fall into place for them!