Actress Swara Bhasker has, in a scathing comment on "Padmaavat", said she felt like a "vagina only" after watching the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial. However, some film fraternity members dismissed it as a "feminist debate".
Swara believes "Padmaavat" has brought up the question whether women -- widowed, raped, young, old, pregnant, pre-pubescent -- have the right to live.
In an open letter published on The Wire late on Saturday, Swara has decried glorification of self-immolation customs Sati and Jauhar.
She began her note by congratulating Bhansali for being able to release "Padmaavat" despite the hurdles -- something she says she even fought trolls for on social media.
The actress, who played a small part in Bhansali's "Guzaarish", watched "Padmaavat" first day, first show", and decided to share her concerns as it left her "stunned".
"That's what I felt like at the end of your magnum opus. I felt like a vagina. I felt reduced to a vagina-only.
I loved the performances by all the actors in #Padmaavat - The film is seductive in its grandeur, scale, beauty, power of its actors’s performances, music, design, vision... and therein lies the problem! Some thoughts.. sorry abt the length 🙈🙈🙈https://t.co/0hYnvlAvAD
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) January 27, 2018
"I felt like all the 'minor' achievements that women and women's movements have made over the years - like the right to vote, the right to own property, the right to education, equal pay for equal work, maternity leave, the Vishakha judgment, the right to adopt children... All of it was pointless; because we were back to basics.
"We were back to the basic question - of right to life. Your film, it felt, had brought us back to that question from the Dark Ages - do women - widowed, raped, young, old, pregnant, pre-pubescent... do they have the right to live?" Swara wrote.
She stressed: "Women have the right to live, despite being raped sir. Women have the right to live, despite the death of their husbands, male 'protectors', 'owners', 'controllers of their sexuality'... whatever you understand the men to be. Women have the right to live - independent of whether men are living or not.
Funny that people cannot get over the fact that a woman said Vagina! Funny that in a 2440 word article making fairly comprehensible arguments they only remember the word Vagina!!! 🙄 So... Vagina vagina vagina vagina vagina vagina...............vagina vagina VAGINA!!!!! https://t.co/pVh7rskZHL
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) January 28, 2018
"Women have the right to live. Period. It's actually pretty basic," she wrote, referring to the "very uncomfortable" climax scene in which actress Deepika Padukone (Rani Padmavati in "Padmaavat") leads a pack of women to commit self-immolation after attackers venture into their kingdom and kill the men.
"Women are not only walking talking vaginas. Yes, women have vaginas, but they have more to them as well."
Swara said she was hopeful that Bhansali would offer "some sort of a critique of Sati and Jauhar in your film".
Eve Ensler shocked the world by her Vagina Monologues. Our own @ReallySwara called out on being treated like a vagina, sanskari desh is outraged, "haw vagina bola". This in a country where penis "linga" is worshiped, where naked male Muni walk into state assemblies. pic.twitter.com/rSk4PAx5Oj
— Sanjukta Basu (@sanjukta) January 29, 2018
What an incredibly eloquent and brave piece of writing. From one SLB fan to another, I agree with everything you have written, Swara. I wish there are more people like you around us who have the guts to speak up about issues that truly matter today. Thank you @ReallySwara https://t.co/u0CL3UgLFd
— Mehr Tarar (@MehrTarar) January 29, 2018
The daughter of well-known strategic analyst C. Uday Bhaskar and professor of film studies Ira Bhaskar, signed off the letter as "Swara Bhasker, Desirous of Life".
Her lengthy post did not resonate well with actress-singer Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, who tweeted: "Aren't these feminist debates on 'Padmaavat' rather dumb? It's a story ladies - not an advocacy of Jauhar for God's sake. Find another battle for your cause - a real one at all. Not historical fiction."
Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit wrote: "This is nothing but trying to grab eyeballs with zero rationale and logic. Swara Bhasker has reduced a queen of brain and might to just a female body part. Does more harm to feminism than good."
Producer Manish Mundra commented: "Now somebody takes fiction seriously and writes open letter about a story 100s of years old. The point is if you make a film from your past, do changes suitably to reflect today's feminism.
"Both are in same boat -- those who think a film can change their history and those who think a fictional film from past should be changed suitably to represent today's feminism."
Swara's comment on 'Padmaavat' leads to Twitter spat Suchitra Krishnamoorthi criticises Swara's opinion on 'Padmaavat'
Actress Swara Bhasker's critique of "Padmaavat" as a movie that glorifies Sati and Jauhar, sparked a war of words between celebrities.
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi got into a war of words with Swara, and Tillotama Shome joined in the debate by supporting Swara.
Last week, Swara had shared a scathing comment on "Padmaavat" in a lengthy post on The Wire, drawing out how the epic drama made her feel reduced to a "vagina only".
#Padmaavat is a story ive known since i was a child. as have many Indians. Should the ending have been changed to suit the current day feminists? That sounds worse than pandering to karni sena or censor board https://t.co/4uGTCYxZuI
— Suchitra Krishnamoorthi (@suchitrak) January 29, 2018
exactly. Y apply our own current day moral prisms to desecrate a woman's choice of 700 yrs ago without understanding the context they were made in? Can one tell the story of the holocaust without calling Hitler a Nazi? pseudo feminism out of context makes no sense https://t.co/ZnqaZjK2lB
— Suchitra Krishnamoorthi (@suchitrak) January 29, 2018
to use the words "reduced to a vagina" is the most repressed and patriarchal line I have read in the longest time. Any woman must question her own psyche for feeling such shame & smallness towards her own gender rather than lash out at a film maker telling a story
— Suchitra Krishnamoorthi (@suchitrak) January 29, 2018
Krishnamoorthi had condemned her thought by questioning "aren't these feminist debates on 'Padmaavat' rather dumb?"
"It's a story ladies - not an advocacy of Jauhar for God's sake. Find another battle for your cause - a real one at all. Not historical fiction," she wrote.
Arent these feminist debates on #Padmaavat rather dumb?. Its a story ladies - not an advocacy of Jauhar for gods sake. Find another battle for ur cause- a real one at all. Not historical fiction
— Suchitra Krishnamoorthi (@suchitrak) January 28, 2018
In another post, Krishnamoorthi, a singer and former actress, wrote: "Funny that an actress who can play an erotic dancer/prostitute with such elan should feel like a vagina after watching a story of a pious queen. What standards are these ...tch tch."
Funny that an actress who can play an erotic dancer/ prostitute with such elan should feel like a vagina after watching a story of a pious queen . What standards are these ...tch tch
— Suchitra Krishnamoorthi (@suchitrak) January 28, 2018
Swara, who has featured in films like "Raanjhanaa" and "Anarkali of Aarah", gave it back by saying: "Funny that people cannot get over the fact that a woman said vagina! Funny that in a 2440 word article making fairly comprehensible arguments they only remember the word vagina. So... Vagina vagina vagina vagina vagina vagina..vagina vagina VAGINA!"
Funny that people cannot get over the fact that a woman said Vagina! Funny that in a 2440 word article making fairly comprehensible arguments they only remember the word Vagina!!! 🙄 So... Vagina vagina vagina vagina vagina vagina...............vagina vagina VAGINA!!!!! https://t.co/pVh7rskZHL
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) January 28, 2018
Tillotama joined in the spat by saying Krishnamoorthi's response is "the opposite of funny".
"Not seen the film yet. But please, an actress can play a prostitute or a 'pious' queen and yet feel like a certain film reduces a woman to just her reproductive function that is vagina. Your response is the opposite of funny. And trust me Swara Bhasker has a sense of humour".
"Padmaavat" has been released after protests by Shri Rajput Karni Sena over alleged distortion of historical facts. Post-release, there have been mixed reviews for the movie, which has been criticised by some sections for glorifying not just Jauhar but also for showing Alauddin Khilji demon-like.
The film, which released on January 25, features actress Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati, alongside Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji. Actors Aditi Rao Hydari, Jim Sarbh, Raza Murad and Anupriya Goenka feature in supporting roles.
I am not responsible for the dumbness of ppl who understood my earlier tweet as slut shaming or trolling rather than in the context of acting & story & cinema. Chor hamesha chor ke jaise sochega. I rest my case 😊
— Suchitra Krishnamoorthi (@suchitrak) January 29, 2018
Sati was a social funeral practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman would immolate herself on her husband's funeral pyre..Jauhar on the other hand was political- collective suicide of a community facing certain defeat in a battle agnst Muslims.
— Suchitra Krishnamoorthi (@suchitrak) January 29, 2018
Let 'Padmaavat' breathe: Rohit Shetty
Director Rohit Shetty says let Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial "Padmaavat" breathe for God's sake.
On Sunday, actor Swara Bhaskar called Bhansali out for the glorification of sati and jauhar in his film in an open letter concluding that the film reduces women to "talking about vaginas".
Reacting to the letter on the sidelines of Radio Mirchi Awards on Sunday, Rohit 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."
"It is our film, so if I say something or someone else says something, we would be trying to create more trouble for our film.
"Film has released and let the audience watch it, The film is doing phenomenal business after all the hassle and trouble the entire production has faced especially Sanjay Leela (Bhansali), Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and TV 18, let their movie run in peace."
"Now if we try and say something and create problem then what would be the point. Let the film breath now, for God's sake," he added.
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali also spoke about the letter, which according to him is nothing more than "each to his own" kind of deal.
"I haven't read the letter of Swara to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, but I know about it. See when delay happens in the film, it doesn't feel right. There is nothing in 'Padmaavat' which requires any protest but each to his own," he said.
"Padmaavat" was released after a gruelling battle against members of fringe groups who were protesting the depiction of Rajputs in the film.
