Bhansali is more unfair to Khilji than Padmaavati

He gnaws the meat off the bone, bares his hairy chest, has long unruly locks and laughs like a hyena. He also has kohlrimmed hungry eyes, a scarred face, a gym-toned body and wears furs.

History doesn’t quite remember Alauddin Khilji like this, but that is the image Sanjay Leela Bhansali seeks to portray of the Khilji dynasty king in his film "Padmaavat".

Some historians, however, feel Bhansali has missed the mark, not in portraying Padmavati, but in painting Khilji as a barbarian.

Historian Rana Safvi believes that Khilji was anything but savage. It was under his rule the Delhi Sultanate heavily drew from Persia, one of the oldest and most sophisticated civilisations of all time, she says.

"The rulers followed the exact code of conduct and etiquette as in Persia. It would have been very formal – the eating, dining and sartorial choices,” Safvi adds.

The film, according to Bhansali, is based on the 16th century-epic poem "Padmavat" written by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi two centuries after Khilji’s death. Jayasi also wrote it in Awadhi, not any Rajasthani dialect. He belonged to a different region, pointed out Arunima Gopinath, associate professor of Women's Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The poet Amir Khusro, who flourished during the Khilji rule, gave a detailed account of the king’s conquests as well as his reign in the 13th century. The poet did not project him as a barbarian ruler either.

Safvi added that the barbarism the film depicts in Khilji is to only show him as a villain and Shahid Kapoor's Ratan Singh as a sophisticated rival.

"Khilji was aware he was cruel but he was not the kind to be running after women and then conquering kingdoms. He was only interested in expansion and conquests," she said.

Alauddin was a "cruel imperialist" and a good military strategist who wanted to crush Mongol invaders, she held. "He was trying to strike terror into the hearts of others. He wasn't religious either. He perhaps may have been the only king who didn't go to read prayers at Friday congregations," she pointed out.

A section of academics believes the depiction of Khilji is only the latest move in a larger movement in parts of the country to distort history. Akbar is being erroneously projected as a foreigner who was defeated in the battle of Haldighati by Maharana Pratap and efforts are on to erase Aurangzeb's name – if not from history, at least from road signs.- PTI