The wait is finally over. After several rumors and controversies, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavat (formerly Padmavati) will finally release on January 25. The film is based on the legend of Rani Padmavati, a legendary Hindu Rajput queen, mentioned in Padmavat, an Awadhi language epic poem written by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540. According to Padmavat, she was the wife of Ratan Sen (called Rawal Ratan Singh in later legends), the Rajput ruler of Mewar. In 1303, Alauddin Khilji, the Turko-Afghan ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, laid siege to the Chittor Fort in Rajputana. According to Padmavat, Khilji led the invasion motivated by his desire to capture Padmavati. The men of the city stormed out in a final mortal sally to kill as many of the enemy before falling. Padmavati is said to have committed jauhar (self-immolation) along with all the other women of the city to protect their honour and to avoid being captured by Khilji. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to Twitter to announce the film's new release date. #Padmavat to release on 25 Jan 2018... #RepublicDayWeekend. Incidentally, this is the same date on which R Balki's Padman, starring Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, and Radhika Apte, is set to hit the screens. Padmavat, which stars Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmini, Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji.