Ever since its release, Padmaavat has been getting rave reviews from public but there are some people who have problems with the content. While some found the content engaging only in parts, others had problems with a certain depiction of Jauhar scene.
Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar is one among those people who didn’t like the Jauhar scene in the film and thought it was unnecessarily glorified. She wrote an open letter in which she questioned Sanjay Leela Bhansali for glorifying Jauhar. Swara went on to add that the glorification of Jauhar made her feel like just a vagina.
While SLB didn’t reply her, she got a lot of reactions to it. There were many who supported her question and there were also many people who slammed her.
Amidst the controversy, Padmaavat’s lead heroine Deepika has responded to Swara’s allegations.
During a recent interview with DNA she was asked to share her comments on the flak Jauhar scene is receiving. Talking about it, she said-
Let me put things in perspective. We are not endorsing Jauhar. You must see the scene/practice in context to the period in which it was shown. And when you do that, you will realise, it’s so powerful. You do not feel like she is doing anything wrong. You want her to embrace the flames because she is going to be united with the man she loves.
She further adds-
For me, it was the most difficult scene to perform. We shot it in peak summer at Film City in Mumbai. I cannot tell you how challenging it was. After every single take, I would go up to my van, have a shower, get ready for my scene and go back. With my heavy costume and jewellery, the heat was oppressive. It was such a difficult thing to execute. There is absolutely no dialogue. And when I saw the scene during the cast and crew screening, Sanjay sir, Ranveer (Singh) and I, who were sitting together, started bawling. Everyone stood up and clapped. We are part of this film, we know the story, we have been through the journey, yet it moved us. Then, Janhvi (Sridevi’s daughter), who had gone for a screening, told me that people there were standing and clapping. I do not know how Sanjay Leela Bhansali could hold a climax of 15 minutes with no dialogue. It is sheer performance and the way he has treated that entire scene is genius. It is one of the best climax scenes that I’ve ever seen.
What do you think of it?