As Sanjay Leela Bhansali tries to avoid a clash with Padman, sources reveal that if all goes well, the director’s magnum opus may release in the second month of 2018.

The Padmavati makers got a huge reprieve when the honourable Supreme Court on Tuesday reprimanded the states and politicians for speaking against the film before the Central Board Of Film Certification  (CBFC) saw and certified it.

While the film’s producers Viacom 18 Motion Picture expressed cautious relief at the judicial reprieve, sources very close to director Sanjay Leela Bhansali say the director is smiling for the first time.

“Sanjay has not slept properly for months now. He is finally getting some sleep. The entire controversy is an exercise in the bizarre for him. He doesn’t get it at all. Why are politicians and protestors speaking against the film without seeing it? Strangers outside his home ask him when Padmavati will be released. He only receives love from the public for the film. So where is all the hatred and suspicion coming from?” asks a source close to the director.

While the release date is yet to be locked in, sources close to Viacom 18, rule out the possibility of Padmavati clashing with Akshay Kumar’s Padman on January 24.

“There is no need for that sort of a thing. Padmavati won’t clash with any other major release. A release date will be decided only when all the protests die down,” says a source close to the film.

In the meanwhile the director is working relentlessly on the post-production and remix. Everyone associated with the film has been asked to be discreet. “Rather than brood over the delay he’s working on polishing up his product even more,” says a close friend of the director.

“Be very quiet,” is Sanjay’s instruction to his actors, musicians and technicians. “Once the conflicts of interest are sorted, the Padmavati team will conduct a press conference announcing the date of release and answer all the questions of the press,” says the source. Sources close to the project rule out a January release. “We will be releasing Padmavati in February, if all goes well,” says the source.