Padmavati Controversy - How India's Most Money-Hungry Film Became The Poster Child For Rebellion

To call director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati groundbreaking or rebellious cinema is an insult to the countless put in by directors like Aanand L. Rai, Amit Masurkar, Prakash Jha and Alankrita Shrivastava. It is another period drama that will look exactly the same as the director’s previous work, Bajirao Mastani (minus the steamy scene between Ranveer Singh’s Bajirao and Deepika Padukone’s Mastani – because anything between these two is clearly looked down upon.) So, this is a message, rather a commentary on the dynamics of this ‘row’. Never has a film in recent years ever gotten this much coverage (the last known film that even reached this calibre was Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha, banned for being ‘lady-oriented’).

However, with the protests against Bhansali’s drama, there is an evident reason why the news channels (including pioneer for Padmavati’s release, Arnab Goswami’s Republic) choose to show the Karni Sena making death threats along with many BJP MLAs towards Deepika Padukone (and something about her nose being a target …). Why? Because, unlike with films like Fire, Lipstick Under My Burkha, Gulaabi Aaina (released internationally as The Pink Mirror), Padmavati is not taking a sledgehammer to patriarchy. It is not promoting same-sex relations between an older woman and a younger one. It most certainly does not talk about drag queens. To give the film that much importance is rather shameful.

The Karni Sena say that Bhansali has showcased Padmavati in a bad light. This bad light being that there is a dream sequence where the queen (who has two names – Padmini and Padmavati. Side note – why does nobody call her Padmini) and Alauddin Khilji, played by Ranveer Singh, have a steamy scene. This is not okay, because it goes against everything that history has said. Presenting my side of the argument, the only evidence/‘itihas’ that the angry Rajputs on the TV keep blabbering on about Bhansali destroying, that this queen hailing from Ceylon even EXISTED comes from a poem, called Padmavat written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi.

If the Rajputs had scriptures hailing from the temples of Kota or Jaipur that this woman did exist, I would’ve sided with them, saying that Bhansali had been promoting this film as a historic when it clearly was not. But who are you and I to judge? There are two problems with us judging. The existence of this queen is questionable, that’s the first (that’s the problem with the Karni Sena/the Rajputs) and Bhansali’s team promoting ‘Padmavati’ as a historical masterpiece is also very misleading. (that’s where Bhansali and team have lost me).

But there are five words I refer to (in two different phrases). Freedom of Speech. Creative Liberty. And another three – Freedom of Choice. Bhansali has the freedom of speech to portray this queen however he likes and the creative liberty to do so. Otherwise, we could very well be living in dictatorships where we only praise our leaders. And then. There’s freedom of choice. Arrey, yaar. You don’t want to see the film. Don’t. Then, Mr. Bhansali will technically not be tarnishing this queen in your mind. Freedom of choice to see it. But sir, Mr. Karni Sena Leader. When you threaten to burn down cinemas, and kill poor Deepika Padukone (seriously, other than sign a film and look pretty damn amazing in a unibrow, what has the girl done wrong?), you are imposing on other people’s freedom of choice.

The need of the hour (I cannot believe I’m saying this, but I digress, since the reign of evil Pahlaj Nihalani is over) is the Censor Board. Prasoon Joshi is also adding his own significant amount of ghee to the aag (and the media are piling onto his ghee). I suggest that the makers of Padmavati send the certificate soon. I personally believe that since Bhansali has not shown EVEN ONE sex scene between (leave alone, Khilji) Rana Rawal Singh and Padmavati, Bhansali will storm right past the protesting Karni Sena, through the doors of the CBFC office, a smile plastered on his face, holding a pristine, laminated, U certificate in his hand.So that before the clock strikes twelve and it’s 2018, I genuinely hope that Bhansali and teame have shown me Rani Padmavati. Despite all the backlash and backtrack, I believe that we Bhansali will make us submit to his vision and has (with the aide of 160 crores, or something) made a truly stellar film.

P.S. (added bonus): Bhansali’s trailer looks so promising and has been made on a huge 160 crore budget. Salman Khan x 2 and Sonam Kapoor simpering around in perfect lehengas and pristine hair in Prem Ratan Dhan Payo did that in 20 crores more (180 crores). Yikes.