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HomeTalk PointTalk Point: It's blasphemy to pan 'Padmavati' before knowing what it contains

Talk Point: It’s blasphemy to pan ‘Padmavati’ before knowing what it contains

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The debate around the historical accuracy of fictional cinema like Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film Padmavati raises critical questions, once again, about barring art for  hurting ‘public sentiment’. Once approved by the censor board, must there be any other tests that movies need to pass? ThePrint asks a panel of experts:

Should concerns of a particular community come in the way of Padmavati’s release?

Padmavati is one of the most revered and respected women in the annals of our history. She is said to have defended her honour against Allaudin Khilji, a marauder and invader. But according to some modern day historians, there is no historical evidence of Padmavati’s existence.

Having said that, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a very responsible and illustrious director. He will not tamper with or distort history, though he might choose to interpret it differently. So, let us give him the benefit of the doubt, and the respect that he deserves.

If he goes wrong, betrays our trust, or denigrates the stature of Rani Padmavati—which I doubt he will—he should be admonished, chided, warned and punished. It would then be fair to call for stopping the release of the film. This should not be done before the film is released. There is far too much at stake, too much money, too much effort and expectation.


Here are other sharp perspectives on the Padmavati controversy:

Manvendra Singh:
BJP MLA
R. S. Khangarot:
 senior historian and Principal, Agrawal PG College Jaipur
Rana Safvi: author, ‘Tales from the Quran and Hadith’
Vijay Tiwari: spokesperson, Vishwa Hindu Parishad
Samarth Mahajan: creative director, Kahaani Wale


It would be wrong to write a premature obituary of a man, who is a creative genius. It would be wrong to tear him to smithereens without knowing how he has interpreted the story. It would be wrong to stop a film, which may just turn out to be a milestone in the Indian film industry. We just don’t know yet.

Let’s not become versions of Aurangzeb, or for that matter, even Alauddin Khilji. Let us not destroy an institution. It would be a blasphemy to pan the film before knowing what it contains. Some of us are not thinking with cool heads, and are trying to be self-appointed moralists. It is totally unfair to a person who has toiled his way up in Bollywood by dint of his merit and talent. He certainly does not deserve this irreverence, opposition and animosity.

Shekhar Suman is a film and television actor

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