The Plot

In the limelight for all the wrong reasons, the film ‘Padmavati’, set in the 14th century narrates the legend of Hindu queen Padmavati of Rajputan caste and the barbaric ruler Alauddin Khilji. The story has it that Khilji on hearing of Padmavati’s alluring beauty immediately resolved that she be his, by all means possible! After successfully invading and conquering the Rajputan King and his empire, Khijli had thought he would atlast have Padmavati at his hands. However it was not so, as Padmavati the widely praised epitome of beauty and honor, had committed ‘sati.’ Sati is the practice by which a recently widowed woman burns herself to death by sacrificing herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. This widely followed practice in history soon came to be recognized as a measure of wifely devotion amongst the Rajputan community.

History Rewritten?

Born from rumors, the Karni Sena group despite having not seen the movie, have alleged Sanjay Leela Bhansali has rewritten history by creating a romantically intimate seen between the queen and Khilji. As absurd as the claim appears, it has managed to kick up quite the storm gathering like minded protesters adding fuel to the already furious fire.

Violence The Problem, Not Solution!

Adamant on getting their way, agitators have gone as far vandalizing the set of the movie earlier in January, burning costumes in their rage. The director was even slapped on set. The furor has lead to threats to chop off the nose of the lead actress Deepika Padukone, and beheading her and the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. After the Kshatriya Samaj announced a reward of Rs 5 crore on beheading Deepika Padukone, the Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha (ABKM) has also put forward a reward of Rs 1 crore to challenge people to burn the Bollywood actress alive. Their motive they stated was for the actress to realize how it feels when Rani Padmavati had performed sati to save protect her honor. Unfortunately the insanity does not end there. A dead body of a local jeweler was found hanging at a fort in Jaipur where previous scenes of the movie were shot. A stone nearby the body had the words engraved, “We don’t burn effigies, we hang them” along with other anti-Padmavati slogans. Police are still investigating the case.

Conclusion

As ludicrous as it seems, it is true. Large majorities of the nation including leaders apparently appear to have nothing better to do then seek bans on movies they claim ‘distort history’ and ‘hurt the sentiments of people.’ Hopefully it will soon dawn on them that their claims are not anything but substantial. Although the supreme court have rightfully dismissed such idiotic pleas, the future for the film still seems extremely uncertain, with the screening of the film being denied in states such as Rajasthan, UP, Bihar and Gujarat so far.  A step forward would be a change in the mindset of the people, only then can we experience growth in all sectors. The fact that such idiotic claims are even entertained is even more appalling.