Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone starrer Padmavati has now offically been renamed Padmavat, after Malik Muhammad Jayasi's 16th Century epic poem that the film is supposedly based on. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film is all set to hit the screens on January 26, 2018 now, say sources. Earlier, reports said that Padmavati, now Padmaavat, was supposed to release on January 25, the same day as Akshay Kumar's Padman. However, looks like the makers of Padmaavat have now decided to give Padman a day's window before hitting the theatres.

The magnum opus Padmavat movie, that was initially scheduled to release on December 1, 2017, is finally seeing the light of day this month. However, political parties and Hindu groups are not happy with the censor board's green signal to the film. The Prasoon Joshi-led Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certified Padmavati a 'U/A', after suggesting modifications that Bhansali and the film team accepted. Among the suggested modifications was that of a title change as well.

The CBFC asked Bhansali to change the name of his historical drama Padmavati to Padmavat, after the 16th Century epic that it is an adaptation of. After several days' speculation, the name of the film has finally been changed to Padmaavat. The film's social media pages have all moved to the new title: Padmaavat. On its official Twitter page, however, the background image still says Padmavati. Padmaavat stars Deepika Padukone in the lead role, as Rani Padmini of Chittor. Shahid Kapoor essays the role of Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh is stepping into the shoes of Alauddin Khilji.