Of late, there have been protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film Padmavati, in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, and objections have been raised about Rajputs being shown in a bad light. I want to dwell on three points.
First, none of the protesters has yet seen the entire film Padmavati in which Deepika Padukone is playing the central character and yet too many unnecessary comments are being made about the film.
Secondly, had Bhansali shown his film, was there any guarantee that the film would have been allowed to be exhibited in theatres?
Thirdly, I do not understand why there are protests when Bhansali in a video statement made it quite clear that there is no dream sequence in the film and nothing objectionable has been shown about Rani Padmini. He has completely denied any distortion of history.
Those opposing the film first alleged that there was a dream sequence involving Padmavati and Allauddin Khilji. After this charge was found baseless, the outfits have now alleged that Rani Padmini has been shown dancing in the film, and this amounts to insult of the community. Well, the queen has been shown dancing in a song sequence.
One of my friends Mahavir Singh, who has seen the entire film, told me that there is nothing in the film which amounts to insult of Rajput community. On the contrary, he said, Rajputs will respect Bhansali once they watch the film. It would be better if both sides sit again and iron out the issues. There is no need for nationwide protests that may lead to violence, which should best be avoided.
