Makers of 'Padmavati' have already lost Rs 4 crore due to vandalism

Sanjay Leela BhansaliThe shoot of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Padmavati was once again stalled as a group of 30odd rowdies carried out a midnight attack on the lavish set at Masai Pathar in Panhala 20 km from Kolhapur forcing the makers to file a police complaint This incident came close on the heels of vandalism and assault on the films Jaipur setThe Kolhapur set was reduced to ashes while most of Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukones costumes were guttedBhansalis team pegs the loss at nearly Rs 4 crore according to the complaint registered by the films executive producer Chetan DevalkarArmed with bamboo sticks the mob hurled petrol bombs at a few tents gutting valuable antiques regal costumes and vehicles No one from the cast and crew was injured since shoot wasnt on at that time A large number of camels elephants and horses were brought to Kolhapur to shoot a battle scene yesterday A horse which had also been used in SLBs Bajirao Mastani 2015 was grievously injuredDeepika PadukoneTwo to three workers also got hurt as the miscreants hit them with bamboo sticks Several beer bottles petrol and soda cans were used to start the fire said MB Tambade Kolhapur superintendent of police adding We have registered an offence under Section 436 of IPC mischief by fire or explosive with intent to damage house rioting and arsonShahid KapoorThe set was around 25feet tall and under police protection with 18 cops on patrolling duty during the day However the attack took place close to 1230 am They emerged from behind a hill in droves attacked the set and fled in 15 minutes Around five tending vehicles were called and the flames were doused in an hour First the injured horse and other animals were rescued We suspect involvement of the local youth and are probing it We have got CCTV camera footage of the incident and a probe is underway said TambadeThough no group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet village sarpanch Priyanka Mahadik is confident that no local could be involved Many of them had found work thanks to the films shoot she reasonsInspector Dhayankumar Godse who is probing the case reveals the miscreants came in SUVs and trucks and hurled the petrol bombs He added A few workers caught hold of one attacker Based on his clothes and blood sample we will reach the culprits Sniffer dogs have also been pressed into serviceInspector General of Police Vishwas Nangare Patil who rushed to Kolhapur yesterday said they have stumbled upon five clues Unlike earlier we will not only beef up security but also ensure it is round the clock Bhansali will resume shooting a week later he saidBhansali remained unavailable for comment The spokesperson of his production house said The set of Padmavati in Kolhapur witnessed an unfortunate incident when certain miscreants set it on fire to damage property A complaint has been filed but we are grateful that there has been no loss of life or harm to anybody on set Thankfully the incident occurred after we had wrapped our shoot for the day and the cast and crew were safely away Unfortunately around 70 to 80 per cent of the costumes and jewellery for the movie were destroyedInputs by Bharati Dubey and Mohar Basu