How pertinent was Anti-Padmavat Movement?

Public perception is that the karni sena has destroyed our HISTORY TEACHER BHANSALI’s magnum opus Padmavat which could’ve resulted in him being bankrupt. Pity! Poor chaps.They are oblivious of the maneuver of the glamour world. Self-proclaimed defenders of Rajputana Shaan have given everyone some kaarans to rejoice.

The government is happy due to actual issues being swept under the carpet. The country’s economy has slumped from a GDP growth rate of 9.2% in 2016 to 5.7% in 2017, the tribal people of Jharkhand are starving to death due to unavailability of Aadhar linking system with their ration cards, the Indian agriculture has been plagued by plethora of problems, the state approaching “Point of departure” has pushed an alarming mass into the realm of poverty and pauperization. The ruckus over Padmavat has helped to camouflage these cauterizing issues and distracted the senses of society to engage in futile debates and discourses. Opposition is happy crying foul over artistic freedom, despite the fact that they have banned many a things including our previous PM’s opinions in its Raaj. Symbol of dynastic politics hasn’t taken sides with the Mewar Royal Family surprisingly, maybe it thinks that by the time there’s a film about its legacy, Rahul Baba would be PM and there’d be no reason to worry. This issue helps opposition actually opposing the govt without fear of backlash against previous tenures. Modi tearing them apart yesterday on account of everything the country has “suffered” must have been enough for them without added issue of artistic freedom.

The past few months have witnessed lynching, willful use of violence on mass, vandalism, arson but the government has been lacking adjudication. It makes me wonder if its actually the BJP that are ventriloquizing their nefarious agenda using the outfit as a puppet. May be the entire episode of this tetchy protest has been scripted by the government and Karni sena on the streets are playing the protagonist in the virulent campaign.

Karni Sena is pretty happy too. This event has resulted in unprecedented popularity for them. Proud Rajput men are ready to let their better-half burn as a part of protests that was proposed. It would have been a great promotion for Jauhar which may have featured in some other history lesson by SLB. However what they have done is they are burning effigies and posters of movie, alongwith a school bus in Gurugram full of tiny tots a fortnight ago. It could have been a part of their induction cum training programme for future members of the cult. This action against kids resulted in a befitting reply from some of their own members who burnt a colleague’s car as a part of protest. Nevertheless, they should be ecstatic. Their protests against Jodha Akbar had not yielded the desired results, neither providing them with pan-India recognition, nor the banning of movie. The only thing they succeeded in was the movie not being shown in Rajasthan by theaters despite full police protection, which is ample proof of belief in policing. It is not that this is first time padmavati is shown dancing on the screens, most notable portrayal being on our national network in 1988 starring Om Puri as Khilji. Maybe the karani sena missed it or they don’t like Ranveer Singh. They must also be ruing no protests against Mr Perfectionist starrer Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander which has Aamir defeating Rajput College in the climax.

It is a different matter that after almost a year of rampage, violence, threats and assault on public Viola! the karni sena has realised that not only Padmavat doesn’t deglamorizes Rajput valor but glorifies it. I wonder what is the enlightenment that has suddenly dawned upon them leading to such a change of heart that puts even our legendary politician’s ones to shame? So, was the whole episode just a show of Rajputaana strength? This entire ordeal makes me wonder about the cryptic behaviour of mammals. Their fulmination has emboldened other protectors of our culture, for now even the meek Brahmins are protesting against Manikarnika!

They have helped the judiciary too. Freedom of expression is unambiguously a fundamental right unless it intervenes with the security of the state. That is where the apex court comes into the picture. This has provided apex court reeling under pressure from all pillars of democracy after the nefarious Press Conference some time away from spotlight as well as primetime. It is altogether a different matter that in spite of the verdict given by SC in favour of release of the film, Karni sena has carried on its protest with arsons, masquerading and giving a clear message that no authority or institution including the Supreme Court can stop the saffron camp from achieving its political goals.

Bollywood is happy too. It has got an opportunity to show solidarity. The “I” dropped by Padmavat may be used by the makers of Padman if they want to have some free publicity too 😉 . After a long time the social media has no Kamaal masala, but only Karni Leela. Almost all the loudmouthed celebs are having a hard time getting some space in our news feeds. Mr Bhansali must be fed up of the karni leela and would certainly have second thoughts before his next distorted history lesson. After all, it is just a matter of time before free publicity backfires. The performance of movie at Box-Office may lead him to make another gamble with history but certainly not Rajputana!For the film has raked in an estimated Rs 18.50 crore at the ticket window on Day 11 of its release according to a report on BoxOfficeIndia.com. The film which opened at Rs 18 cr, minted Rs 43.50 crore on its second weekend, thus taking its total collection to a staggering Rs 203 crore in just eleven days despite not releasing in a few states. With the release in Rajasthan from this week, there’s no stopping the juggernaut. Seems the protests have not led to monetary loss for Mr Bhansali due to not being shown in some states and Malaysia, as suggested by initial reports, but piqued enough of public interest to over-compensate for the loss.

The unemployed Rajputs have got an opportunity to flex their muscles and show that there is a chance of putting the famed Rajput valor outside the regiments of army. Protesters who couldn’t express their differences against the disrupting economical decisions of bygone year are finally able to vent their frustration.

On a slightly serious note, let’s trace back the roots of the protest. The entire harangue stemmed from the fact of restoring valor and honour of a female character whose very existence is questionable. The irony of the situation lies in the fact that these pious goons are mute spectators when modesty of women is shredded beyond repair. If there’s such respect shown to all the girls instead of some mythical persona of past, then there would not be the need for even more stringent laws for horrendous crimes against women.

The need of the hour is to contemplate over the fact that “if all the state government, central government and the SC together cannot get one movie released and run safely, how can we expect foreign investments to flow in?” Of what use be the RED CARPET promised to top CEO’s in Davos then? It’s time democracy is re-established before India turns into oligarchy’s empire.