‘Padmavati’ film defames my ancestors, says scion
JAIPUR: As outrage over a film on ‘Padmavati’ grows, a descendant of Queen Padmini on Saturday said the filmmaker had sullied the names of his ancestors and demanded a stay on release of the movie.
MK Vishwaraj Singh, a scion of Padmavati’s family, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding certification and release of film be withheld. The letter was also addressed to chief minister Vasundhara Raje, the chairman of the central board of film certification Prasoon Joshi and union ministers Smriti Irani and Prakash Javadekar.
“With this film they have attempted to appropriate the name and history of my family and use the same for their commercial gain. It is personally a matter of disgust that the revered names of my ancestors have been dragged into such a standard Hindi film industry potboiler,” Singh said.
He said the film’s makers had not approached his family to verify facts or taken permission to use his family’s name. “It is the responsibility of the government to safeguard the history of a country and dignity of its citizens. It will be tragically ironic if films such as these are permitted to misrepresent and exploit the very character who contributed richly to the heritage of our nation,” reads the letter.
Meanwhile in Jaipur, Diya Kumari of the former Jaipur royal family launched a signature campaign against the release of the film. Protests con- tinued to swell with more royal families, Congress leaders and even the tourist guide association joining the bandwagon.
On the other hand, Devayush Singh Shahpura, prince of the erstwhile royal family of Shahpura, said his family opposes the film-maker’s attempt to present a distorted history.
“Films become a form of history and the coming generations rely more on visuals than books. As a result, they’ll accept what’s depicted in the film as the reality,” said Singh.
Jodhpur royal family also registered protest against the film with Gaj Singh, saying film makers put entertainment and imagination over history and facts.
Congress leaders Rameshwar Dudi and Dhiraj Gurjar too joined the chorus.