Felt reduced to a vagina: Swara Bhaskar destroys Bansali's Padmaavat for glorifying Sati

News Network
January 28, 2018

Award winning Bollywood actress and thinker Swara Bhaskar has come down heavily on acclaimed director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the glorification of sati and jauhar in his film, Padmaavat. In an open letter published in The Wire on Saturday, the 29-year-old alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, took particular offence to the film’s purported finale, in which Deepika Padukone’s Rani Padmavati commits herself to fire to protect her honour.

The Anaarkali of Aarah star, who began the letter by singing Bhansali’s praises for eight whole paragraphs concluded by suggesting that Padmaavat reduces women to ‘talking vaginas’.

The actress watched the movie "first day, first show", and decided to share her "concerns" as it left her "stunned".

"That's what I felt like at the end of your magnum opus. I felt like a vagina. I felt reduced to a vagina-only.

"I felt like all the 'minor' achievements that women and women's movements have made over the years - like the right to vote, the right to own property, the right to education, equal pay for equal work, maternity leave, the Vishakha judgement, the right to adopt children... All of it was pointless; because we were back to basics.

"We were back to the basic question - of right to life. Your film, it felt, had brought us back to that question from the Dark Ages - do women - widowed, raped, young, old, pregnant, pre-pubescent... do they have the right to live?" Swara wrote.

She stressed: "Women have the right to live, despite being raped sir. Women have the right to live, despite the death of their husbands, male 'protectors', 'owners', 'controllers of their sexuality'... whatever you understand the men to be. Women have the right to live - independent of whether men are living or not.

"Women have the right to live. Period. It's actually pretty basic," she wrote, referring to the "very uncomfortable" climax scene in which actress Deepika Padukone (Rani Padmavati in "Padmaavat") leads a pack of women to commit self-immolation after attackers venture into their kingdom and kill the men.

"Women are not only walking talking vaginas. Yes, women have vaginas, but they have more to them as well. So their whole life need not be focused on the vagina, and controlling it, protecting it, maintaining its purity. (Maybe in the 13th century that was the case, but in the 21st century we do not need to subscribe to these limiting ideas. We certainly do not need to glorify them.

"It would be nice if the vaginas are respected; but in the unfortunate case that they are not, a woman can continue to live. She need not be punished with death, because another person disrespected her vagina without her consent.

"There is life outside the vagina, and so there can be life after rape... In general, there is more to life than the vagina."

Swara said she was hopeful that Bhansali would offer "some sort of a critique of Sati and Jauhar in your film".

"Your cinema particularly is inspiring, evocative and powerful. It can move audiences to emotional highs and lows. It can influence thinking and that, sir, is why you must be responsible as to what it is you are doing and saying in your film."

She signed off the letter as "Swara Bhasker, Desirous of Life".

Click here to read the full letter of Swara Bhaskar on The Wire

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 12,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 12: Cheif Minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday paid homage to Legendary Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar on his 14th death anniversary.

Yediyurappa shared a poster of Dr Rajkumar on his Twitter with a caption, “We pay homage to Karnataka Ratna Dr. Rajlumar on his death anniversary. Let us keep the unique service rendered by Dr. Rajkumar through Theater and movies. ”

Let us keep the unique service rendered by Dr. Rajkumar through theater and movies. ”

Dr Rajkumar is one of the greatest actors in the history of Kannada film industry and is known as a legendary actor in Sandalwood. He has acted in more than 200 movies and has a huge fan base even after his demise.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
coastaldigest.com news network
June 12,2020

Mangaluru, June 12: Juma prayers were held in dozens of mosques across coastal district of Dakshina Kannada including the city of Mangaluru for the first time in nearly three months upholding all the safety norms including physical distancing. 

For the first time in the recent history of Mangaluru, juma prayers were stalled in all the mosques for 11 consecutive weeks as part of nationwide coronavirus lockdown. 

While many mosques were reopened for the congregational prayers in the region on June 8 (Monday) after receiving approval from the government, many others are yet to be opened as Muslim religious leaders are taking additional precautionary measures to prevent the spread of covid-19 apart from following all the guidelines issued by the government.

“Around 400 people participated in the Juma prayer at Zeenat Bakhsh Juma Masjid. All the safety guidelines were followed. Sadaqatul Nadwi delivered the sermon and led the prayers,” S M Rasheed Haji, executive member of the mosque committee told coastaldigest.com.

“As per the guidelines, devotees performed Wudu (ablution) at their homes and also carried their own musalla (prayer mat) to the mosque,” said a Jalaluddin, a cleric who offered Juma prayers in Ullal.  

The guidelines issued by the government to the mosques also include disinfecting the premises at regular intervals, maintaining physical distance, wearing masks and finishing prayers in “minimum permissible time”.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 4,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 4: A total of five people suspected of being infected with Coronavirus have been admitted to the isolation wards of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bengaluru.

Samples of these patients have been collected and their reports are likely to be received later today.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has assured people in state about preparedness to tackle Coronavirus.

Earlier in the day, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had said that there were 28 cases of Coronavirus in the country and added that universal screening of all international flights will begin to control the spread of the deadly virus.

Global deaths due to Coronavirus outbreak have risen above 3,000.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.