Objections over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming movie ‘Padmavati’ took a novel twist with the last regal family of Mewar sending a special note to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministry of information and broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to hold back the consent to release the controversial movie to hit theaters on December 1.
In his note, M K Vishvaraj Singh of Udaipur-Mewar royal family stated that though Sanjay Leela Bhansali stated that the movie is properly explored, truthful and right to history, it is based on a text that’s not regarded as accurate.
“The filmmaker has relied on ‘Padmavat’ by Malik Muhammad Jayasi, a Sufi poet. The work is replete with poetic imagery, and even has a talking and thinking rot. While it has used the names of historical persons, the poem is widely interpreted as about the union of ‘atma’ (self) and ‘paramatma’ (supreme principle) with a ‘rakshash’ (demon) also playing a part. The value of this allegorical work is in its poetry, which does not claim to be, nor is it regarded as, historically accurate,” Mr. M K Vishvaraj Singh said.
The majestic family also stated that the film’s popular number ‘Ghoomar’ and promotion material from the movie sets up gross inaccuracies, which disobey the limitations of theatrical authorization.
“If the film professes to be history and its maker goes on record to claim that he has kept in mind the cultural sensitivities, then it’s an artistic and historic fraud to portray a ‘queen’ attired inaccurately, courtesan-like and as a painted doll in a film that purports to pay obeisance to her. Every profession and attire has their correct place in a civilized society and is respected as such. By blurring the lines, one is being anarchic,” Mr. M K Vishvaraj Singh stated in the note.
Mr. M K Vishvaraj also claimed that there have been just 3 ‘jauhars’ (self-immolation) during the 1,400-year-old traced history of Mewar, adding that significant events have been incorrectly portrayed in the film.
Mr. M K Vishvaraj also criticized the utilization of family name in the film without taking consent.
