Despite SC all-clear, here's why there's panic and fear all around Padmaavat
After over a long, painful year of vandals damaging film sets, death threats to the producers and actors, accidents and struggles, Padmaavat is all set to release on January 25. Dodging one controversy after the other, one would think that the filmmakers are heaving a sigh of relief following the Supreme Court verdict that says the film can’t be banned by any state. Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan had initially banned the film from a release owing to “historical inaccuracies”.
However, the ground reality is far from being this uncomplicated, and the struggles of the filmmakers are far from over. The notorious Karni Sena, the fringe group claiming to represent the Rajput community, is still openly issuing threats to not just individuals associated with the film but also to movie theatres that may screen the controversial movie. Closer home, Goshamahal BJP MLA Raja Singh has also asked four theatres around his constituency not to screen the film, threatening that if they did, there’d be a protest from Rajput Karnis.
Fear and optimism
Back at the Bhansalis’ residence, there is a cautious optimism surrounding the SC verdict on the ban of the film. A source close to the filmmaker and his family says, “It’s great to hear the Supreme Court lift the ban. But will the States pay any heed to it? More importantly, will the fringe groups go by the verdict?”
A similar quandary grips movie theatres as well. “Even if we overlook the threat and decide to release the film, multiplexes will have a hard time because there are other patrons there apart from moviegoers. In fact, we are worried that these threats will scare them away altogether!” shares a manager of a leading multiplex on the condition of anonymity.
Film distributor Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Arts says, “It’s quite a tricky situation right now. We haven’t even put up the posters of Padmaavat outside the theatres, because we are asked to remove it every now and then. We will need police protection at any cost because the audiences are really scared after the threats.”
The state should take charge
While everyone fears a law and order situation, columnist Anil Dharker thinks that once a state is determined to take charge in case of any chaos, nothing should go awry. “The Supreme Court has said that the state is now responsible to maintain an orderly situation and see to it that the film isn’t hindered any longer. Now it depends on how determined the state is,” he muses.
Shabana Azmi, who has voiced her strong opinions in support of the makers of Padmaavat, demands punitive measures against the disruptive fringe elements. “Immediate action needs to be taken against these criminal elements so as to send out a clear signal to the country that abusive language and violent threats won’t go unpunished. The law of the land must apply with immediate effect so that a strong message is conveyed that the Government has zero tolerance for violence, or a call to violence against any citizen of this country,” she says.
Why the silence?
Shatrughan Sinha adds, “Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are being criticised for not coming out to openly condemn the protests against Padmaavat. But why must we, members of the entertainment industry, be expected to take a stand on political issues when the Prime Minister is quiet? Mr Narendra Modi and the Information & Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani should’ve spoken up on the issue long back.”
As far as the threats to vandalise theatres showing Padmaavat go, Shatrughan Sinha counsels the protesters to hold their peace. “You are being hasty in your judgment. You haven’t seen the film. Let it release and then decide if there’s anything objectionable. Threatening to destroy property and cause damage to human life is not a healthy form of protest,” he says.
— With inputs from
Pooja Salvi, Uma Ramasubramanian and Subhash K. Jha
