Padmavati: Folktale and history cannot be mixed, says historian

Mumbai: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s dream venture Padmavati starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, which was slated to release on December 1, has been in the eye of storm since its inception.

The magnum opus hasn’t got a clearance certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification. A four-member panel of historians has been set up to see if the film recreates history on the silverscreen or distorts it.

The plight of the film has been hanging on a tightrope as the makers haven’t been able to decide when to release the film. Unless the censor board clears the film for screening, the producers wouldn’t be able to take a call regarding the new release date.

According to a report in Mid-Day, a source said, “A four-member board has been set up. They will meet the Censor Board officials next month. The film will be reviewed in two parts.”

Dr BL Gupta, a history professor from the University of Rajasthan, who is one of the panel members said, “I am all for artistic freedom and one's right to express, but that must not happen at the cost of history.”

He clarified that as historians they aren’t favouring any political ideology or artistic view.

“Bhansali credits Padmavat — an epic poem written in 1540 by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi — as his source. But when you make a movie on an incident that highlights the social scenario and the political climate of an era, you are mixing folktale with history. The war between Alauddin Khilji and Rawal Ratan Singh is not fiction. It's not a concocted story,” Gupta added.

Moreover, the film depicts jauhar performed by the Rajput women. And the historian feels that the incident shouldn’t be romanticised in the garb of cinematic liberty.

For the unversed, Deepika plays Rani Padmavati, Shahid essays Maharawal Ratan Singh while Ranveer Singh portrays Alauddin Khilji.