Bollywood movie Padmavati causes culture war

Usually, movies are for entertainment, providing escape from a monotonous routine, and causing a clash of cultures is rare. Yet in India today, the Bollywood movie Padmavati has created a rift and split the masses into two camps. 

Amid unprecedented debate and extreme threats, India has seen real-time rioting for most of this year. Named after a mythical Rajput queen whose existence cannot be proven historically, references only being found in poetry around the year 1540, the controversy has served to expose the vulnerability of society to movies and the poignant effect they have on the masses. 

At times such as these, movies can become larger than life and create new imaginary battlegrounds.

It all began when the hard-line faction, Rajput Karni Sena, accused famous movie maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali of having insulted the legendary Hindu Rajput queen's memory by depicting her as a heroine with an historic Muslim king. 

Soon, its members were vandalizing cinemas and attacking the sets of his upcoming film in Jaipur, Rajasthan, with petrol bombs for allegedly distorting historical facts even though the famous film director rejected the alleged "dream sequence” or song that is causing all the fuss. 

Releasing a video message, Bhansali assured vengeful mobs that his movie "upheld the honor of the Rajput clan” and he did not intend to hurt anybody's sentiments. 

Things got more dangerous, however, as the actors playing the main character roles, DeepikaPadukone and Ranveer Singh, received threats, while some even threatened to chop off the heroine's nose.

Matters took an even more drastic turn for the worst, as a politician even announced a reward of nearly $1.5m (£1.3m) for anyone beheading Bhansali and Padukone. Not only that, an alternative-right organization, Bharat Kshatriya Samaj, placed a bounty of US$780,000 on the heads of movie director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and the actress Deepika Padukone, so that it looked as if matters would spin out of control at any moment.

Soon the entire incident exploded into a national issue in India and political parties also jumped into the fray. Director Bhansali was coerced into delaying the movie release until after the upcoming assembly elections on Dec. 9 and 14. 

Apparently, political parties did not want to lose the right-wing vote by taking sides, guessing that when it can start protests in large states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana under majority party rule, it could create havoc in other states. Avoiding unpredictable electoral results, it was advised that the movie should not be released for screening in cinemas.

Meanwhile, infuriated mobs burnt effigies of the director and called for a complete ban. Even the Chief Minister of Rajasthan state appealed for the movie not be released until "necessary changes are made so that sentiments of any community are not hurt."

As a result, the Dec. 1 release of the movie has been canned and it still awaits a new date after being banned in four major states. Finally, this statement was issued, "Sanjay Leela Bhansali has shot two films in Jaipur and despite his love for Rajasthan, for the safety of his crew, we have decided to stop the shooting and leave the city where miscreants have damaged property and threatened the crew.

Unfortunately, a movie has exposed the multi-cultural divide in India, home to several religious minorities. It is feared unabated intolerance can tear apart the fabric of society as the controversy continues to monopolize the news and spawn countless rumors even under ban in four states under the ruling party BJP. 

Indian literati and intelligentsia have tried to dispel the prevailing confusion across the country to no avail, and everybody dreads the actual release of the movie and the ensuing scenario. Movie artists are still trying to defend their right of artistic expression, as rumors spread on social media often trigger mob rage and create a dangerous situation.

Based on an epic 16th century poem, Padmavati remains a fictional figure. Historians have tried their level best to prove the queen probably never existed, but to no avail. Indian society has been laid hostage to the spectre of a vigilante movement for defending a mythical queen's honor, and this episode will only breed further intolerance and can lead to country-wide violence if not dealt with sensibly. 

Fearing communal violence, the Indian government intends to deploy riot police at cinema houses whenever the movie is released. Maybe, it is based on a figment of imagination, yet the movie remains on everybody's mind in India.

Sabena Siddiqui (Twitter: @sabena_siddiqi) is a foreign affairs journalist and lawyer based in Pakistan.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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