THE PADMAVATI OUTRAGE

Bollywood is officially outraged. The strong opposition to the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s historical drama Padmavati by many groups claiming to represent the Rajput community has upset film personalities.

We don’t blame them. Outraging over a possibly fictional character from history without having watched the film sounds ludicrous to us too. Just as ludicrous are calls for a ban on the film - and the beheading of Bhansali and actress Deepika Padukone.

The “voluntary” postponement of the release of the film from 1 December by the film-makers seems to have become the proverbial last straw, prompting several celebrities to speak out (further reading ahead in these columns).

The film has been mired in controversy over conjectures that it “distorts history” regarding Rajput queen Padmavati, a contention that Bhansali has repeatedly denied.

But that hasn’t stopped Shri Rajput Karni Sena, an organisation of the Rajput community, from protesting against Padmavati for the last few months. The Sena now wants a ban on the film.

Kunwar Surajpal Singh Ammu, a ruling BJP leader in Haryana, has gone several steps further and said he firmly stands by his announcement of Rs 10-crore reward for beheading Bhansali and Padukone. Ammu has also issued a threat to break the legs of actor Ranveer Singh.

“Padukone is just like our daughter and she must stay away for playing roles like the one she played in Padmavati,” he said, adding: “If anyone raises an eye (sic) at our sisters and daughters, they will be punished.”

The issue has taken political hue as well, with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chauhan announcing that the film will not be released in the state because he claims it has distorted facts.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also said that the film would not be allowed to release in the state unless its controversial portions were removed.

Even Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje wrote to Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani to ensure that Padmavati is not released without necessary changes.

Some people are smelling a conspiracy and are saying the controversy is a ploy to ensure that the film releases after the Gujarat assembly polls.

No wonder then, that in such a charged atmosphere, the film-makers have ‘voluntarily’ decided to defer the film’s release.

SHABANA AZMI: VERY ANGRY

Never one to mince words, Shabana Azmi is vocal about her distaste for the baseless anti-Padmavati protests. She feels it’s time for the film industry to take a collective stand against the ugly controversies and protests surrounding the release of Padmavati.

Shabana wonders why so little action has been taken against the perpetrators of violence against the Padmavati team. “The CM of Rajasthan is sitting pretty. The first FIR lodged is under the Arms Act because there was open firing. Beyond that no action is taken against the criminals threatening naked violence.”

Shabana also lashes out at the censor board for delaying the certification of Padmavati. “The CBFC sends the film back because some paperwork is not complete!!! Only after 63 days will the film be screened for CBFC when Gujarat election is over and done with! Are we fools to not see through the design of fomenting unrest and polarizing votes?”

The formidable actress-activist does not hide her resentment at what she sees as a victimisation of the entertainment industry for political purposes.

“I am very angry. The film industry needs to take a strong unified action and refuse to be sitting ducks anymore. If such threats had been made against any member of the political class would the reaction have been the same? Are the people in the film industry not equal citizens of this country?”

Others Upset Too

Reacting to the controversy, actor Naseeruddin Shah said, “Having a Central Board of Film Certification is sheer hypocrisy when the government has set itself up as censor.”

Another veteran Kamal Haasan said, “I want Deepika’s head… saved. Respect it more than her body. Even more her freedom. Do not deny her that. Many communities have opposed my films. Extremism in any debate is deplorable.

“Wake up cerebral India. Time to think. We’ve said enough. Listen Ma Bharat,” Haasan tweeted.

Bollywood’s ‘showman’ Subhash Ghai also extended support to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, saying he is entitled to “cinematic liberty” and that it is wrong for his detractors to pass an opinion without seeing a film.

“I will not comment about the Padmavati issue because I am not a politician. I respect my filmmakers. You have to understand one thing that you cannot judge something without seeing it,: Ghai said here during his masterclass at the ongoing 48th

International Film Festival of India.

“One artiste has made a film based on his imagination. He has not said that he is uniting with 15 organisations to make a historical film,” he added. The filmmaker added, “You haven’t seen the film and you are already assuming that something will be wrong in it. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a responsible person. But there will be some colours of cinema in the project. He will take some cinematic liberty.”

Ghai also suggested a solution to the whole issue.

“First watch the film. If you have a problem after watching the film too, then talk it out,” he said.

Director Tanuja Chandra, whose film Qarib Qarib Singlle released recently, added, “In a country like India, bursting at the seams with real, huge issues, when a film with possibly a fictional character becomes a cause to fight for, the government must be clinical, swift, absolute, in protecting it and in dismissing the ridiculous ambitions of anyone threatening to break the law. Any deliberation or delay in doing this is wrong and honestly, kind of tragic.”

The atmosphere of “intolerance” and “barbaric” statements on “beheading” of filmmakers and actors has also upset Rohit Roy, who says he is frustrated about being an Indian living in India.

“For the first time, I’m sad, frustrated, enraged that I’m an Indian living in India... Never thought I’d ever say that. Indeed, very sad. Jai Hind,” Rohit tweeted.

He said, “India is what it is because of its diversity, sense of democracy and importantly, it’s secularism. Hinduism, a way of life, is inclusive in nature.”

“India and Indians have become intolerant,” he stressed, and added that “one doesn’t know what wrath of which faction one will incur while even making a statement.”

TRYING TO RESOLVE ISSUE THROUGH DIALOGUE: CENSOR BOARD CHIEF

Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief Prasoon Joshi said the Board was trying to follow a process of dialogue vis-a-vis the stalemate surrounding Padmavati, whose release has been delayed because of opposition from conservative groups. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inaugural function of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) near Panaji, Joshi said, “We are trying to follow processes. Instead of arguments, attempts are being made to have a dialogue on the issue.”

CINEMA IS ALL ABOUT LOVE: SRK

Amid the raging Padmavati controversy as well as the row over exclusion of two films from a section of the 48th IFFI, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, through a mixture of symbolism and subtlety, spoke of cinema as a balm of love for dissent and a catalyst for unity, at the inauguration of the movie jamboree in Goa.

“There is a term in Sanskrit ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. It means bringing the world together like a family. I believe no matter what your language is, no matter what country your story comes from, and no matter what your ideology is, storytelling and listening should be a familial experience which binds us together. It makes relationships stronger, even in the face of dissent and discussion as it usually happens in a family, instead of tearing us apart,” he said.

“I truly believe that films are made with the collaboration of hundreds of people coming together, working relentlessly for an idea they believe in