Recently Rajput Karni Sena withdrew their protest against “Padmaavat” and accepted that the movie doesn’t demean Rajput. On the contrary, they agreed that Rajputs have been portrayed in good light and the flick glorifies their valour, adding that every Rajput will feel proud after watching it.
Majority of the protestors were from Rajasthan and now Kangana Ranaut starrer “Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi” is also facing protests in Rajasthan. The movie is all about nineteenth-century queen of Jhansi Laxmibai who sacrificed her life while fighting against the British for the country’s freedom.
A Brahman group by the name of Sarva Brahman Mahasabha (SBM) has alleged that the makers are showing a love affair between Rani Laxmibai and a British man.
Suresh Mishra, the President of SBM, addressed a press conference in Jaipur on Monday and here’s what he said,
“We learnt about it from our friends and acquaintances in various parts of Rajasthan where some scenes of the film are being shot. The film is based on a foreigner’s book and tries to dampen the queen’s reputation.”
The Brahman group feels that “Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi” is based on the book written by Jaishree Misra titled Rani in which the Indian queen had an affair with a British man. However, the author claimed that the book is a work of fiction but it was soon banned by the government for showing Rani Laxmibai in bad light.
Suresh Mishra also said that he has sent letters to the film’s producers for knowing their response on this matter but the producers haven’t replied and because of this reason, they feel that something is wrong.
On the other hand, the producer of the movie Kamal Jain told Hindustan Times,
“The film shows Rani Laxmibai in a respectful manner. We have taken care about portraying her including consulting historians and scholars in Jhansi. She was a freedom fighter and one of the most respected leaders our country has seen. She is a symbol of valour in our country. The film’s story depicts the same. The film doesn’t portray anything objectionable about her. There is no love affair depicted in the film and there is no distortion of history in anyway. It pains me to hear these statements about one of the greatest leaders India has seen. Is this what independence means? We are making a film which depicts the real story of Rani Laxmibai. Having said that, we are open and willing to show the script (to people who might have doubts). We have nothing to hide. We are proud to be making a film and want the world to see one of the greatest leaders of India. This film is a tribute to Rani Laxmibai.”
Suresh Mishra also talked about the further plans of SBM. In his words,
“We will meet Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh and Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria seeking their intervention. In order to check that the issue doesn’t blow up like Padmaavat, the government must ensure nothing controversial is shown in the film. It should get an undertaking from the producers.”
We also hope that things don’t get as ugly as they happened in case of “Padmaavat”. Let’s wish that the matter gets resolved soon.