Bhubaneswar: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat hit screens in the state on Thursday.

From bounties on actors, murder threats to attacks on the director, Padmaavat created a sense of fear in the minds of theatre-owners and viewers. Several distributors in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Goa have refused to screen the film. However, despite the controversy, the release here was peaceful.

The fear was evident as most theatres refused to put up posters despite screening the film.

"Although there were no protests in our state, the fear was palpable. We have taken security measures at a few cinemas to prevent any untoward incident," said distributor Swagat Kar.

Huge crowds turned up for paid previews of the film were held across the state on Wednesday with most of the shows running houseful.

IT professional Sonika Jena, who had come to watch a special 3D preview, at the Inox multiplex here, said: "There should be creative freedom in a democratic set up like India. After watching the film, I feel that the Rajput fraternity should feel proud that someone is paying rich tributes to their community."

The film has been released at 80 theatres across Odisha. The enthusiasm could be gauged from the fact that tickets at all the major cinemas in the city have been booked in advance for this weekend.

However, quite a few found the film to be average.

"It was fun to watch on the first day and give everyone advice as to whether they should watch it or not. On a serious note, the film is a regular piece of work and I find the protests completely unnecessary," said TV personality Sulagna Routray.