And yet, sharing the news space with this bit of
national pride, is another story – one that evokes
a feeling far from pride. We are speaking of the
violent protests against the release of Sanjay Leela
Bhansali’s ‘Padmavati’ by the Karni Sena. They
have even gone so far as to threaten to cut-off the
nose of the fi lm’s leading lady Deepika Padukone.
Their reasons – “The lead actress has bared her
midriff while dancing!”; “Rajput queens
don’t dance”; “There is a romantic dream
sequence between Moghul King Allaudin
Khilji and Queen Padmavati”...
FACT OF THE MATTER
While the threats are unsettling, the reasons
behind them demand closer examination.
The facts, as they stand, is that the fi lm is
loosely based on Muhammad Jayasi’s 16th century
poem of the same title, set against the backdrop of
the culturally rich and characteristically lavish Rajput
lifestyle. Rani Padmavati, in all her splendour, is
supposedly a work of fi ction and never truly existed
to be misrepresented.
With the fate of the fi lm hanging between courts
and parliamentary debates, the intellectual and
thinking gentry of the
nation are at their wits’
end. Filmmaker Prahlad
Kakar says, “There are
institutions set by the
democratic process to
pass or fail a fi lm. For
people to protest, is
absolutely allowed in
a democracy. But for
people to threaten and
damage and take to“Karni Sena and
other protesters
will face a huge
existential crisis
post the release
of #Padmavati,
so they are
trying to juice out
maximum.”
— Anurag BasuDeepika Padukone
“What makes me
really angry is that
the film industry has
not stood up and
spoken out in one
strong voice.”
— Nandini SardesaiNandini Sardesai125 SAVVY DECEMBER 2017