HONG KONG – The Indian state of Madhya Pradesh Friday ordered that big-budget Bollywood meller "Jodhaa Akbar" be removed from cinema screens in the region.

"The screening of this film could disrupt peace and start a law and order crisis situation," the Madhya Pradesh home ministry said. "The screening of the film has been suspended and not banned," chief minister of central Madhya Pradesh state, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, said later.

Action against "Jodhaa Akbar" followed violent demonstrations by Rajputs, a Hindu group said to be descended from royal warrior dynasties, who have denounced the film's historical accuracy.

Producer and distributor UTV, which released the film across most of the country a week ago, said it will challenge the Madhya Pradesh suspension in regional and national courts if necessary. "The censor board has passed 'Jodhaa Akbar' without any cuts and the onus is now on the respective authorities to ensure the film is screened across the country without disruption," company said in a statement.

Film, by "Lagaan" helmer Ashutosh Gowariker, stars Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan as a Rajput princess who slowly falls in love with the Muslim prince (Hrithik Roshan) she is in an arranged marriage with. Gowariker has said that pic is 30% fact, 70% his imagination.

There have been protests and cases of arson at theaters in the state of Gujurat and unsuccessful attempts to have the courts in Chandigarh ban the film in the Punjab region.

Suspension in Madhya Pradesh, however, will have significant impact on pic B.O. and makes issue of the film's financial success more moot.

Even without distribution in the Rajasthan region, which also boasts a significant number of Rajputs, UTV gave the pic a super-wide release of 500 prints and a further 400 digital prints. Company announced a boffo $6.4 million opening weekend, with a screen average of $7,050. Some observers have pointed to the width of the release and the cost of the movie -- an estimated Rup400 million ($10 million) and come to the conclusion that it is the first big flop of the year.

In the past however, controversy has regularly helped movies stay in Indian theaters and swell auds. "Jodhaa Akbar" also got off to a cracking start in overseas territories where it gathered $3.29 million in its three day weekend debut.

UTV says that it has the support of the film industry and that as a show of support for the film, exhibitors' associations in Madhya Pradesh have threatened an indefinite strike.