No doubt that Sanjay Leela Bhansali ’s magnum opus, ‘ Padmavati ’, got itself stuck in some serious controversies. A few days back, actor Shahid Kapoor said that the film’s release date will be out by the end of this year, but we don’t think that’s happening anytime soon. The film was sent back to the makers by CBFC after it was found that the column for stating whether it was a work of fiction or was based on historical facts was left blank. And now, when the producers of the film again sent it for certification, the film is now in the queue behind 40 other films which are waiting for censor certificate. The film will only be certified during the second week of January and would not hit the theatres before March or April, says a source from CBFC.

Talking to a leading daily, a source from CBFC said, “We have not scheduled the film. There are at least 40 feature films in different languages waiting in the queue before Padmavati.”

The source further added, “Because of the year-end, some board members were on holiday and a few others had called in sick. Forget about appointing a panel of historians, we don’t even have a normal Examining Committee to view all the films. Even by conservative estimates, the film won’t be certified before the second week of January. I don’t think they can release the film before March or April”.