The Historical Myth That Raised A Fierce Chaos, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmaavat'

New Delhi, February 8, 2018:

Padmavati- ‘Padmaavat’, a movie that raised violent spark across the nation for months, have not just shut the mouth of aristocratic goons, but also made them realize how crucial it is to learn the grass roots of any issue before disputing about it. Depicting the story of Rajput royalties, the movie initially struggled through immense criticism and threats on its release.

'Padmaavat' Movie opening posters (Twitter)

Film director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali who is known for presenting painting on the celluloid is the man who also gave us Guzaarish, Bajirao Mastani, Devdas, Black and many more epic. The countless efforts of the director and the star cast Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, and Shahid Kapoor helped the movie ‘Padmaavat’ to get acclaimed in India as well as worldwide. The film nailed every level of success by its picturesque catch, earning, and reviews.

Film Padmaavat from its initial stage faced immense rage from the protesters. The actual criticism started when some Hindu driven societies raised objections on claiming to mislead the historical facts, while the movie was in its pre-production stage. Protestors alleged that the filmmaker has tried highlighting the romantic (or erotic) angle between Queen Padmini (Padmavati) of Mewar and ruler of Khalji Dynasty, Alauddin Khalji, which has not been mentioned anywhere in history. Other also opposed the ‘Ghoomar’ dance performed by Deepika Padukone, as people believed that the Queen never danced in such clothes or in front of anyone except her husband Ratnasimha (Ratan Singh), the Rajput ruler.

It was because of this fierce controversy, Bhansali was even slapped by some members of the Rajput organization, Karni Sena, who claimed to attack the director while on the sets of the film in Jaipur. A viral video also showed how the angry mob vandalized the sets of the film, forcing the director to flee from the city and stop the shooting.

Many renowned Bollywood actors took it to Twitter on the support of the National Award Winning director. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted in favor of the movie saying ‘Art can’t have any restrictions or Limits’. Even after the ongoing protests, the ace director was successful in completing his film and after months of postponing the release date. The film was finally released under the tight security on January 25, with simple five changes by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Protest for 'Padmaavat' Ban

However, even after the board changes and approval, many states went against the order of Supreme Court and banned the release of the movies in their states. The changes were also not enough to satisfy the Hindu fringe group who also burnt the buses and cars on the day of release of the film in Gurugram. Many burnt the theaters, warning them not to show the movie. Nevertheless, the Bhansali’s craze could not stop his movie lovers and the movie had a record-breaking opening. 

Till date the magnum opus movie where Deepika plays the role of Rani Padmavati, Shahid as Raja Ratan Singh and Ranveer playing the evil role of Alauddin Khalji has earned more than 400 Crores ($63 Million) across India and overseas.

It was after the release of the movie and appreciations when Karni Sena finally withdrew their protest, after being satisfied that the movie praised the valour of the Rajputs and their sacrifice.