The much anticipated epic fantasy drama Padmavati has been on the spotlight for a while now because of all the hype that surrounds the film. But recently the film has been on the receiving end of a lot negative attention. The upcoming film has been subjected to numerous protests from various groups as it has been perceived to hurt religious sentiments as well as damage Rajput honor. But has it all gone too far?
It all started with Rajput Karnik Sena, a fringe cast group who had vandalized the film set and even slapped director Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the face as a sign of protest. Things escalated real quick when petty vandalism turned into bounties being placed on the head of actress Deepika Padukone. Just as we thought that it could possibly not get more disturbing, it did. A dead body was discovered in Jaipur’s Nahargarh fort with anti Padmavati messages beside it.
Is a film worth a person’s life? Is a thousand year old tradition which has been outlawed for about 200 years worth killing for? We do not want to demean the sentiments that have been hurt but there are civil ways to take care of this like perhaps banning the film in selected states or censoring certain parts of the film through petitions. But the increasingly barbaric acts need to be stopped immediately.
Furthermore what we need to consider here is the fact that Padmavati is based on a poem and Rani Padmavati herself is a fictional character. These events DID NOT take place in real life and the entire movie is a work of fiction. And the idea of people willing to protest and even kill others to defend the honor of a fictional woman in a country where real ones get raped every 15 minutes is a bit hard to grasp.