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Ashutosh Gowariker’s movie ‘Panipat’ has provoked controversy for its “unseemly” portrayal of Maharaja Surajmal. Folks protested in Bharatpur and Bikaner in opposition to the film’s alleged distortion of historical past. Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh has demanded a ban on the film and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje additionally expressed her displeasure. Different interval dramas like Jodhaa Akbar, Padmaavat additionally met with bother.
ThePrint asks: Panipat to Padmaavat: Can Bollywood make historic drama with out hurting sentiments?
Bollywood movies on historic occasions intentionally painting content material that hurts folks
Krishan Murari
Trainee Journalist, ThePrint
I’m certain all of us have grown up watching Hindi movies which have in a roundabout way or the opposite left an indelible affect on our childhood reminiscences. Bollywood filmmakers perceive this actuality and hold it in thoughts whereas making films.
However content material creators face a bunch of issues, particularly once they make interval dramas. Everybody has a unique understanding of historical past in society. So, there’s a deliberate try to attach viewers with historic occasions by utilizing cinematic parts and content material that arouse robust sentiments.
This explains why individuals who noticed movies like Panipat and Padmaavat didn’t stay untouched by what the filmmakers depicted. The protests in opposition to these movies might be seen from completely different views. First, movies made on historic occasions are intentionally portrayed in such a manner that persons are both emotionally damage or vehemently disagree with it. Second, it’s the work of some bigots who mischievously attempt to create misconceptions about interval drama movies.
It’s also the duty of filmmakers to extend public consciousness of historic and social occasions. This duty rests much more with interval dramas. With the intention to escape from the labyrinth of historic details, movies are given a dramatic look.
Bollywood is churning out interval dramas yr after yr, and these have grow to be a straightforward manner of minting cash. This isn’t to say that such movies don’t make historical past extra entertaining for the typical Indian. However cash issues in a globalised world, even whether it is raised by hurting feelings.
It’s primarily teams like Karni Sena and Hindu Sena that declare Bollywood interval dramas damage sentiments
Revathi Krishnan
Journalist, ThePrint
On questioning whether or not Bollywood could make historic dramas with out hurting sentiments, one can be tempted to delve right into a severe argument about analysis and illustration of historic figures and communities in cinema and what they imply at present.
The reality of the matter is that claiming a betrayal of sentiments, threatening to chop an individual’s nostril or obstructing film screenings have grow to be a sport for a lot of. A sport that extends past expressing outrage over the illustration of historic occasions.
Prior to now, now we have seen that those that have claimed their sentiments have been damage are largely fanatics — members of Karni Sena, Hindu Sena and Hindu Mitra Mandal. It’s folks like them who come down closely on movies like Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat and Jodhaa Akbar. Although they declare to be protectors of Indian historical past and tradition, one is uncertain whether or not these zealots themselves know something about historical past.
It needs to be understood {that a} author or director has to take an enormous mantle of duty whereas illustrating sure occasions from historical past. Subsequently, one is true to query and castigate a filmmaker on the illustration of Afghans in Panipat and even Padmaavat, or whether or not Jodha bai was truly Akbar’s spouse or daughter-in-law.
Nonetheless, we’re at the moment dwelling in instances the place we’re consistently making an attempt to rewrite who truly gained the Battle of Haldighati and declare V.D. Savarkar was a ‘patriot’.
The ‘don’t-hurt-sentiments’ argument now appears paltry when utilizing it for historic dramas and is much more pertinent after we query how filmmakers characterize Muslims in films, why most heroes are upper-caste Malhotras or Sharmas and why we glorify poisonous relationships by the lens of Kabir Singh or Arjun Reddy.
Latest Panipat controversy exhibits folks assume there’s just one ‘appropriate’ model of a historic occasion
Kairvy Grewal
Journalist, ThePrint
I believe the phrases ‘historic drama’ deliver out the irony within the query itself. Sentiments of sure communities are damage solely when historical past is considered as a group of details and narratives that may’t be contested.
The current controversy fuelled by Panipat’s alleged ‘mistaken portrayal’ of Maharaja Surajmal signifies that individuals assume there was one ‘appropriate’ model of that occasion to start with. Other than the truth that one wouldn’t would watch Bollywood films simply to take a lesson in historical past, it should be famous that historical past isn’t only a sequence of occasions lined up. Historical past should be considered as a sequence of interpretations. The singularity surrounding our opinions on historical past doesn’t simply confine the expanses of India’s wealthy historical past however can be grossly unfair.
It’s these defective perceptions which have led to folks preventing over the ‘appropriate’ understanding of historiography. Nonetheless, it’s equally true that an understanding of those a number of interpretations will help curb battle and contestation.
The onus is on the viewers to grasp that neither a film’s model of a historic episode can have the ultimate say nor its personal information of that occasion can. Furthermore, there have all the time been completely different opinions about one other notion that historical past is all the time written by the victors.
On the finish of the day, these films are merely dramatised variations of historical past and will solely be seen in that mild.
Viewers ought to know that Bollywood interval drama movies promote an expertise reasonably than a historical past lesson
Pia Krishnankutty
Journalist, ThePrint
Deepika Padukone’s character committing sati in Padmaavat was sure to be controversial, however Bollywood presenting such scenes isn’t a surprise.
One can argue that interval drama movies in 2019 ought to a minimum of try to be traditionally delicate and account for all of the complexities of Indian historical past earlier than depicting it, however that’s additionally rather a lot to ask of Bollywood movies.
Most Hindi movies often cater to the plenty reasonably than a distinct segment viewers and most of the time, shock-value scenes, dramatisation and glamour trump historic accuracy. Films like Panipat or Padmaavat aren’t low-budget movies — they’re blockbusters that put money into well-known actors, flamboyant units and splendid soundtracks. They promote an expertise reasonably than a historical past lesson.
Jodhaa Akbhar and Lagaan replicate these similar parts of drama and so they fairly understandably narrativise historical past to stir feelings. One can all the time argue that sure parts are intentionally used, a part of cinematic aesthetics basically, for the provocation of viewers.
That’s to not say that audiences shouldn’t be offended by scenes like Deepika’s in Padmaavat, however they shouldn’t anticipate Bollywood to be as politically delicate as say, a documentary.
Industrial movies shouldn’t be taken too critically
Manas Gurung
Senior video producer, ThePrint
Historic dramas have all the time been a trigger and concern for filmmakers and audiences alike, particularly in a socio-politically delicate nation like India. Many writers and artists have interpreted historical past and performed with it in their very own methods. Bollywood movies like Lagaan, Pinjar, Hey Ram, Mughal-e-Azam, Earth, Gadar and even Baahubali are vital examples of excellent cinema.
I believe depicting historical past by a cinematic medium is all the time a treacherous path to tread on. Latest movies like Panipat and Padmaavat might not be the most effective examples however a couple of dangerous ones shouldn’t be the benchmark for criticism of different interval dramas.
I additionally really feel that this can be a case about illustration of identities. Furthermore, filmmakers have absolutely the proper to assume out of the field and train their creativity in methods they deem appropriate. I don’t see some other manner by which one may draw crowds and make these movies a industrial hit.
It’s also vital to grasp that with out good interval dramas, there would have been a dent in Indian cinema. It will result in an enormous expanse of avenues being unexplored within the movie trade.
On the finish of the day, industrial movies shouldn’t be taken too critically.
Additionally learn: Forget battle over the film, Panipat is at the heart of 3 battles that shaped our history
By Kairvy Grewal, journalist at ThePrint
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