PADMAVATI’S JUST ANOTHER SCAPEGOAT
For now, there seems to be no end in sight for Padmavati and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s woes. As the movie’s release has been indefinitely postponed, the state governments seem to be getting involved. After Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat too seems to have banned the movie from screening in their theatres. Maharashtra tourism minister Jaykumar Rawal has also petitioned CM Devendra Fadnavis to ban Padmavati from releasing it in the state.
Trade analyst Komal Nahta, however, believes that this ban won’t stand for long, especially when the Central Board of Film Certification ( CBFC) will have certified the movie. “When the CBFC says there’s nothing objectionable about Padmavati, that should resolve the problem, partly,” he explains. “However, if matters still aren’t resolved, SLB can knock the doors of the court. And courts are inclined to take the side of the filmmaker, like they did during the Aarakshan controversy. Just because you fear that there will be a law and order situation, therefore the film should not be released is not an excuse that the court will buy. If there’s a law and order problem, you solve it. What is the police force for?”
Director Anubhav Sinha believes that Padamavti is being used by political parties and governments to further their agenda at this point of time. “It’s just a cow that’s being milked now,” he groans, adding. “Padmavati is just a conduit for political agenda, since there are elections coming up in both Gujarat and Rajasthan. This not only helps with propaganda, but also distracts the public from other pressing issues in the state.” Anubhav’s sentiment is echoed by filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who says, “I’m tired of speaking about the issue. It’s not just never- ending, the Padmavati issue has also escalated over time. We are an industry that’s always prostrated ourselves before the government. So, now that this is happening to us, what’s the point in fighting? It may seem unfair, but things are just the way they are.” For a movie that’s been made on a budget of nearly ` 200 crore, the delay and a truncated release will mean a huge loss for the producers Viacom 18, believes Komal. After it’s theatre release, the movie will get its TV and online release, after which anybody can watch it. ut the monetary losses may just be “unbearable”. We tried to contact Viacom media to learn more about their losses but they had not got back to us at the time of going to print.
— With inputs from Dyuti Basu