Rajput women threaten to kill themselves if Padmaavat released
On Sunday, thousands of Rajput women went on a 'Chetavani Rally' in Chittorgarh, a warning to the administration that if 'Padmaavat' is released, they will commit 'jauhar.' According to reports, 1,908 women have already registered to commit suicide by setting themselves on fire on January 24, a day before its scheduled release. It was to ensure Rani Padmini's "honor" is maintained, they said.
The movie that shook India
Padmaavat, earlier Padmavati, has been one of India's most controversial movies. Sets were vandalized, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was slapped, the actors received death threats and a bounty was announced for cutting off Deepika Padukone's nose. All this was based on rumors that the movie insulted Rajput queen Padmini, on which it is based. The case even reached the SC, which refused to intervene.
A long-drawn battle with the censor board
Then there were issues with the censor board, which returned its certification application citing "technical issues." When it was finally passed after several changes, it was banned by Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP and Haryana. But the SC stayed the ban and cleared it for an all-India release. Amusingly, the makers have now covered Padukone's bare midriff with VFX, seemingly to give her a "respectable" look.
Earlier, a U-turn by Rajput women
The first threats of 'jauhar' came before the SC had stayed the ban. But afterwards, Rajput women had made a U-turn. "Why should (we) commit jauhar? It is Bhansali who will have to commit jauhar," Ramwati Kanwar of the Kshatriya Mahila Sangh had said.
