“There was no Rani Padmini. It is likely that Rana Ratan Singh was married at the time of the battle in 1303, for they would marry early then and marry many times, but there is no mention anywhere of his wife’s name,” says historian Harbans Mukhia.
There is a lot of mention of Lord Rama and his extraordinary feats which are fantastically fantasies but does that mean even he didn’t exist? A person or a group of people can have faith and faith shouldn’t be questioned. This is another school of thought.
Rani Padmavati – Padmini was penned down by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540 CE as a way to entertain readers of the upcoming historical fantasy genre. It’s no irony that in 2017, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is doing the same act by making ‘Padmavati’ – to entertain audiences worldwide. His point being that those who don’t want to grace theatre or don’t want to watch his work shouldn’t comment on whether he is commiting a heinous crime or defaming the celebrated Rajput clans and maligning history and sentiments.
I am a Rajput myself and barring my perspective here is somehow important.
Not all Rajputs feel the way the Shri Rajput Karni Sena, a Rajput caste organisation feels. They should know that their outrage is actually giving the movie an unconditional leverage because of the unconditional promotion it has got. People who weren’t aware of who is Rani Padmavati are now excited to watch the flick. Youngsters are now aware of the Indian Rajput history . Suddenly it has been established that movies impart social conciousness. Movies as an electronic medium is a source of knowledge and so more important that it can cause an uproar in lives of so many people who have nothing better to do than protest and make obnoxious threats.Orthodoxy ultimately means not thinking-not needing to think.
The legal question which arises is whether the liberty taken by Bhansali is purely creative or unjustifiably insane?
It is totally inexcusable on the part of the director to not take permission from the Royal family of chittorgarh and not predicting this fall out. It is not the first time that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has gotten into a controversial glare revolving around his taste of story telling. He should have been more aware of the rapture.
While the movie Padmavati, which was supposed to be released on Dec 1 has been indefinitely postponed, the media is having a field day with the controversy, with debates between sides who are not ready to listen to logic or law and order to making wartales on two wronged sides, each feeling more helpless than the other. Who is right is the right question here and not who wins?
Life is not fair and never fairer in war of ideologies.
Ideally speaking, only the ones fighting the war know how much maybe it means to them. The Rajputs have contended that politically and figuratively, they have been hurt by utter disregard to Rani Padmavati honour by potraying her in belittling light by making the queen of sacrifice dance and make merry in front of the public on screen. For a Queen, honour is validation and shame, a way of life. Rajputs lived with a lot of culture and pride. Rani Padmini is consider a goddess. Angry Rajput clans mean no funny business when they say that such a remarkable and momentous Queen’s honour should be left alone and it’s a shame that after so many years, nobody is bothered by her sacrifice and tainting her name in the mud.
But the question to ask is whether Rani Padmini a fable or was she indeed real? And if she was real, was her story of sacrifice on which the two worlds are fighting not just a fragment of imagination?
This dramatization has brought some dramatic consequences but no conclusion. As we wait for the censor board to hand down a go ahead, in our hearts we know the uselessness of emotions and castiety which marrs Indian soil. The dance of democracy gives weight to creative freedom but it also plays dirty politics with our minds.
