While this in itself isn’t particularly controversial, there has apparently been a rumor going around that the film would feature a scene where its two protagonists Rani Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji would engage in intimate acts.
Padmavati has refuted those rumors, but they have persisted, leading to somewhere between 20 and 50 people showing up to attack the set.
Her story has been fleshed out in TV and film over the years and Padmavati would be another example of her story getting the big screen treatment.
Queen Padmavati, also known as Padmini, is a fictional queen from the 13th or 14th century, who first appeared in a poem written in 1540 CE that featured fantastical elements.