CINEMA AND CULTURE
Educational Institutions in Maharashtra have been attacked because they were playing songs from the controversial film Padmaavat during a cultural function. It is time to distinguish between the preservation of dignity and the act of obsessiveness.
Kabir | The New Leam
We are all aware of the fact that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmavat was put under extreme attack before it could finally be released. The film generated a wave of anger in the country and especially among the Rajputs who claimed that some parts of the film were a historical and projected their queen in the wrong light.
It was recommended that the film in question be cut down and revised and even the name be changed from the earlier Padmaavati to the now Padmaavat. Proponents of creative freedom and the rights of a director the stretch the band of his imagination and weave a story according to his own ambitions strongly resisted the idea.
They articulated that unless the film came to light and was seen by the audience at large it was in just to ban it or disallow people from seeing it. After much trouble and immense conflict the film has been set to be released on January 25. But now it seems that the troubles associated with the film and the amount of anger it generated among the people has still not receded.
In a school and college in Ratlam, Maharashtra the Rajput Karmi Sena stormed inside when they heard that students were performing a dance on a song from the film. The audiences were threatened and the property in the institutions was also broken. The film from the time of its conception has generated much conflict and despite having made the edits the film has still not managed to gain acceptability among the crowds. It is also sad that in the name of honour, innocent people are being attacked and their lives are being put to risk.
In an ambiance like this how will one feel free to express their creative freedom, to tell a story, to make a film or write a novel? It is sad that despite or political freedom we have still not become comfortable with individual freedom. Moreover, such obsessive behavior will not take us far if we do not learn to value collective freedom of choice and expression.
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