‘We Are Not Endorsing Jauhar’: Deepika Finally Breaks Silence On The Padmaavat Controversy

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus ‘Padmaavat’ finally released on 25th January 2018 and despite the initial hiccups, the film was met with a lot of praise for its sheer grandeur. The actors Deepika, Ranveer and Shahid too received a lot of praise for their respective roles.

However, the movie is not immune to controversy even after its release. For the uninitiated, let me enlightened you on what exactly went down. Actress Swara Bhasker recently wrote an open letter to Bhansali slamming him for the climax Jauhar scene in the movie.

Although Bhansali has not commented on the matter, there was no dearth of people who slammed Swara for her ‘misguided notion of feminism’. From writers of Ram Leela to Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, opposing Swara’s stance to Shahid Kapoor calling it ‘awkward’ even though he clarified that he had not read the letter. But it would be wrong to discredit the strong arguments put forth by Swara in her letter.

Recently, Deepika Padukone in an interview with DNA spoke about the Jauhar scene. On being asked about the flak received by the movie for the scene, she said,

“Let me put things in perspective. We are not endorsing jauhar. You must see the scene/practice in context to the period in which it was shown. And when you do that, you will realise, it’s so powerful.

You do not feel like she is doing anything wrong. You want her to embrace the flames because she is going to be united with the man she loves.”

Talking about the difficulties she faced while shooting the film in the heat she further added,

“For me, it was the most difficult scene to perform. We shot it in peak summer at Film City in Mumbai. I cannot tell you how challenging it was. After every single take, I would go up to my van, have a shower, get ready for my scene and go back. With my heavy costume and jewellery, the heat was oppressive. It was such a difficult thing to execute. “

The 15-minute climax scene has no dialogue. Deepika was full of praise for SLB and said that it was the sheer performance that elevated the scene to the level that people stood up and clapped at the screening. She also dubbed it one of the best climax scenes that she has ever seen.

Deepika’s response to the whole controversy might help clear things up for the people who were genuinely disturbed by the lack of a critical statement after the Jauhar scene.

Cover Image Source: Viacom 18 motion pictures