After portraying a gangster as a hero in Raees, Bollywood has gone one step ahead and is in the process of whitewashing the million vices of Alauddin Khilji. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the director of the movie tentatively titled Padmavati, has allegedly attempted to create a romance on the silver screen between Rani Padmini who chose Jauhar to escape the terrible fate of a future in Alauddin Khilji ‘s harem. Expectedly, it has created significant distress among the Hindu community which sees the movie as a vicious attempt to insult the sacrifices of one of our great heroines.
And so, it happened that the Rajput Karni Sena took it upon themselves to teach the crew of the movie a lesson.
Not expecting any form of justice from the secular state, the organization vandalized the set of the movie Padmavati and assaulted Sanjay Leela Bhansali himself during shooting a sequence in Rajasthan.
When the threat of violence becomes a tool for a particular community to force its whim on the public, it’s only natural that other communities will take the hint especially when none of their concerns are heard if they communicate them peacefully.
Quite predictably, Bollywood has jumped into the scene to defend Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The Arvind Kejriwal of the movie industry, Anurag Kashyap, has declared that Hindu Terrorism is now a reality. His stance is very surprising since all this while we have been led to believe that Terrorism has no religion. Others who seemed to have gone quiet when Vivek Agnihotri was assaulted and Kamal Hassan’s Viswaroopam was attacked have suddenly found their voice. Shabana Azmi who had once proclaimed, “Majidi and A.R. Rahman cannot make a movie that is inflammatory and would hurt sentiments of the Muslim community,” now says, “Film industry must stand as one n do whatever it takes to ensure that d reprehensible attack on Sanjay Leela Bhansali becomes a flashpoint for goondagiri to stop.” The selective targeting of Hindus again and again in the name of Freedom of Expression while fiercely protecting the rather fragile sentiments of a particular community must stop.
Bollywood would do well to introspect on the reasons behind the serious loss of goodwill from significant sections of the population. We do remember their contribution to the farcical Intolerance Drama and how they had attempted to portray the entire country as intolerant. The appalling remarks they had made shall not be forgotten soon. And it is quite amazing how Freedom of Expression is always directed against Hindus and to hurt Hindu sentiments. AIB had in fact rendered an unconditional apology after being threatened by the Church after their roast. Unfortunately, the entire industry seems to suffer from an anti-Hindu bias and derives a perverse form of pleasure from hurting Hindu sentiments.
At the same time, I wonder where are all the Feminists in Bollywood at and how come they have not spoken a single word against Bhansali’s outrageous venture. To whitewash Rani Padmini’s sacrifices and depicting romance between her and Alauddin Khilji is tantamount to making a movie where Nirbhaya romances her rapists! It’s utterly repulsive the depths to which Bollywood will sink in the name of artistic freedom. And conspicuously, Feminists find nothing wrong with the insult to one of the greatest sacrifices by a great woman. The hypocrisy of Feminists never ceases to amaze.
Alauddin Khilji is one of the most vicious Islamists who looted, killed and raped Hindus and forced Hindu women to perform Jauhar to escape his harem.
That Bollywood would even dream of whitewashing his crimes is an insult to our ancestors who had to endure the most devastating torture for the sake of our nation. The thinly veiled anti-Hindu bias of Bollywood is quite out in the open. That the sacrifices of our ancestors are repeatedly insulted and criminals and tyrants are glorified reflects a greater malaise that has gripped the Hindi movie industry. Instead of going overboard with their chanting of FoE, they should take some time out to reflect on when exactly was their conscience silenced.