Swara Bhaskar has once again faced criticism over her comments on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat. At a recent event in Delhi, the actor spoke about the film's jauhar sequence and revisited the concerns she had raised in her 2018 open letter. Her latest comments have now sparked a fresh debate on social media.
What Did Swara Bhaskar Say?
Talking about Padmaavat, Swara said the scene showing hundreds of women committing 'jauhar' made her think about how a rape survivor might react to it. She questioned whether such a portrayal could make survivors feel that they were "cowards" for choosing to live.
She also questioned whether rape should be seen as the end of a woman's life. Swara further recalled a scene involving a pregnant woman and said that it was one of the moments in the film that made her angry.
The actor said she did not write her 2018 open letter immediately. According to her, she waited for five days before deciding to publish it.
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Internet Reaction
Swara's comments received mixed reactions online. While some users criticised her for her views on jauhar and said she had ignored its historical context, others defended her and said she was questioning the way the act was portrayed in the film.
Another social media user defended Swara, saying that she was not calling the women who committed jauhar cowards. The user said the actor was instead criticising the way Padmaavat portrayed and glorified jauhar, which they felt sent a troubling message.
Swara Bhaskar's Reaction
Responding to the criticism, Swara Bhaskar shared a reaction on her Instagram Story, saying: "It is WILD that so many people are triggered (women included) by the basic idea that rape survivors have a right to life after rape!!! (sic)"
Earlier Open Letter
Swara had written an open letter to Sanjay Leela Bhansali in 2018 after watching Padmaavat. In the letter, she criticised the portrayal of jauhar and sati and said women should have the right to live despite sexual violence or the death of their husbands.
She had also written that she felt "reduced to a vagina" after watching the film.
About Padmaavat
Padmaavat is based on Malik Muhammad Jayasi's ballad of the same name and features Deepika Padukone as Padmavati, Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji and Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh.
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film features the jauhar sequence involving Rani Padmini and other Rajput women after Alauddin Khilji breaches the fort of Chittor.
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