Swara Bhaskar Gets Her 2 Minutes of Fame: Shahid Kapoor, Rohit Shetty Rebuke Her Uncalled-for Attention

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmaavat is constantly coming in the headlines. From the troubles it faced for its release to the praise all over for the kind of business it is doing, every day there is some or the other update. But now, the film is drawing attention because of the reaction it has got from actress Swara Bhaskar. While other critics and audiences have been praising the performances and visual delight in the film, Swara wrote a scathing letter to the director, criticizing it. In the open letter, she wrote ‘she felt reduced to a vagina’ when she saw the glorification of the Jauhar (self-immolation) in the movie. Swara’s shocking remarks were unpleasant and not everyone in Bollywood was happy about the point she was making.

Recently Shahid Kapoor, who has played the lead role of Maharawal Ratan Singh in the film called the letter frivolous. Although the actor has not read the letter he knows what she has expressed. To quote Shahid, I can say that this is not the right time for such things. Padmaavat represents the entire film industry, it represents freedom of expression and freedom of speech. The journey of the film, reaching the audience has been very tough and the entire film industry stands with us right now. Given the circumstances, her letter seems quite frivolous. Though she has expressed her personal views and everyone has the right to voice their opinion.”

Director Rohit Shetty did not find anything wrong with the film. He too was not impressed with what Swara had to say. During the Mirchi Music Awards red carpet, he said, “I'd like to request everyone that after so much troubles and struggles the film 'Padmaavat' has released, please let it run in peace. Please let it breathe. I will say something, then someone else will say something else, that way we will get this film, our film in some or the other trouble. Now, we have given it to the audience, so, let the audience watch and decide. The film is doing phenomenal business after all the hassle and trouble the entire production has faced.” He hoped it to let alone.

Singer Suchitra Krishnamoorthy was definitely offended with the way Swara expressed her opinion and she even took a dig at the actress. She tweeted about it to which Swara also lashed back at.

And Swara was no calm in her reply

The lyricists of the film Padmaavat went ahead in the same vein to reply to Swara. They too wrote a letter which started with the definition of feminism and then how the concept is viewed and criticized in Bollywood films. They write and question her, "It was Padmavati's choice and free will to not give herself up to Khilji. The question about life after rape does not arise. She, out of her free will, chose to embrace the fire rather than the tyrannical Alauddin. How is that any less empowering?"

Let's get real Swara, in a periodic-historical film, you cannot criticize the practice centuries later. Bhansali did not obviously make the film centering around Jauhar. It was a tale of valour and Jauhar was an important sequence of the film which had to be highlighted. While others chose a diplomatic stance of ‘each one has an opinion,’ there are ways to voice it, especially in an industry like Bollywood. Swara Bhaskar’s letter and the no-words-barred rant seems like an attention seeker. The letter was uncalled for.

Also, the way Swara reacted to Suchitra's tweet, looks like she is fixated with the word 'vagina' and has forgotten the very essence of what feminism truly stands for. Honestly, when we talk about cinematic liberties and depiction in movies, we should not club past and present situations and create a debate over it. If we look at cinema as an art of expression and story-telling, then the audience should enjoy it as one. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movies are known for his extravagant sets, the colourful ambiance and the entire vibe it gives to a viewer. Which is probably why people do turn to the theatres in such large numbers. So the Jauhar scene was pivotal to the plot and had nothing to do with glorification. In fact, the Rajputs would be proud of the confident choice, Rani Padmavati made back then. The best is to enjoy the film for its cinematic experience than finding mistakes and make them seem grave to the audiences.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2018 03:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).