Padmavati: Is Not Alone, The List Is Long

The list is long and so are the conflicts. The hurdles faced by Padmavati are innumerable, but it isn’t the only movie to face the heat. Let us go through a list of Movies that have shared a similar fate.

1-Sikandar (1941)

This Bollywood epic directed by Sohrab Modi was one of the earliest films to have been in a controversy. It was banned by the Britishers for promoting patriotism amongst the masses.

2-Mughal-E-Azam (1960)

One of the highest grossing movies of all times, Mughal E Azam, the magnum opus in 1960 was also slammed for the ways it distorted historical facts. From the depiction of Salim to the portrayal of the royal court, a lot of facts were toyed with.

3-Asoka (2001)

The 2001 epic historical drama film, although a hit, was questioned by the film Pundits for the various glitches in the movie and false depiction of historical empires.

4-Jo bole So Nihal (2005)

This Sunny Deol flick was protested by the Sikh community for misusing their holy slogan “Jo Bole so nihal”. Although the movie released without any severe protests, it surely had to go through a rough patch.

5-Mangal Pandey (2005)

This Amir Khan epic was challenged by the descendants of the freedom fighter. The family challenged the movie in Delhi high court for holding the martyr in low light. The movie in the end was a flop.

6-Jodha Akbar (2008)

Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Jodha Akbar was banned from screening in Rajasthan by the Rajput groups who believed that Jodha was the wife of Salim, Akbar’s son while Gowarikar claimed that Jodha was the wife of Emperor Akbar. He consulted a number of historians to back up his theory. The movie was a critical and commercial success.

7-Bajirao Mastani (2015)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has become synonymous to controversies, mostly because of his experiments with historical facts. Bajirao Mastani saw a nationwide protest as the descendants of Peshwa Bajirao I accused the makers of misrepresenting historical facts. The Movie was a huge success critically and commercially.

8-Udta Punjab (2016)

The censor board and the makers of the drugs-themed drama were involved in a legal battle for a very long time. The CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani demanded 13 change in the films that meant 94 cuts total. The Movie was finally released with 1 cut after clearance from Bombay, Punjab and Haryana Courts.

9-Baadshaho (2017)

A movie based on the black time of the nation, the emergency had to face the heat from political divisions. The movie was loosely based on the life of Gayatri Devi and the depiction of the events during the time of the emergency sparked a row of controversies, This would be wrong saying the law makers and powerful hands keep on checking the flexibility in laws according to their needs.

Despite so Many controversies and so many protests, Bollywood has still managed to make and release movies on hot topics. Some have Failed and some have outlived imaginations. Padmavati being the latest one in this list has already faced bans and protests from approx 9 states. As the release date of the movie has postponed, It will be interesting to see if the grand Sanjay Leela Bhansali flick will see the light of the day. It still remains a topic of debate as to if Film makers should experiment with historical facts and creative freedom.