Poonam Pandey has reacted sharply to Swara Bhasker’s recent remarks about the portrayal of jauhar in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmaavat’. The actor expressed her disagreement with Swara’s criticism of the film and questioned her decision to comment on a sequence depicting a historical event.Speaking to IANS, Poonam said she had once been a fan of Swara and considered her an educated and intelligent person. However, she made it clear that she strongly disagreed with the actor’s views on the film.
Poonam Pandey questions Swara Bhasker’s criticism
Poonam argued that ‘Padmaavat’ was based on a historical account and suggested that the filmmakers had not invented the events depicted in the film.“I used to be her fan, a long time ago. Now, whatever she said… She shouldn’t have said that,” Poonam said.She further questioned Swara’s observations, reiterating her view that Bhansali’s film sought to present history rather than create a fictional narrative.“I used to be her fan a long time ago. Now, whatever she said… What should I say to her? She shouldn’t have said that. The makers only showed history. They didn’t make up a story. Sanjay Leela Bhansali showed a film based on history.”
Poonam Pandey expresses anger over Swara’s remarks
Poonam also spoke about her strong emotional reaction to Swara’s comments, describing them as a “very stupid thing to say”. She said she was particularly surprised because of the high regard in which she had previously held the actor.“I have a lot of anger inside me. No, I don’t want to… Because it’s a very stupid thing to say something like this. I always found her so educated and so smart. And a woman like her coming out and saying something so rubbish. She… I mean… Her tongue is bad, her face looks bad too,” Poonam added.Her remarks have brought renewed attention to the debate surrounding the ending of ‘Padmaavat’ and its depiction of jauhar, particularly the contrasting ways in which the sequence has been interpreted.
What Swara Bhasker said about ‘Padmaavat’
Swara recently revisited the controversial sequence during the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ talk at the India International Centre in Delhi on August 31. While discussing the representation of women and violence in cinema, she questioned the message conveyed by the jauhar scene in Bhansali’s film.Swara raised concerns about how the sequence could be perceived by survivors of sexual violence, particularly if interpreted as suggesting that death is preferable to surviving rape.
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She was quoted as saying, “I was watching it, and I thought that if God forbid, I was a rape survivor, what is this film telling me? I would feel like a coward that I didn’t commit suicide to save my honour. Is that what you want to tell in a society like ours where I feel like anyway there is a rape epidemic. Is this what we want to tell our survivors that they don’t deserve to live, that if you actually would have be a honourable and brave women, you would have killed yourself. Are we saying that rape is end of a woman’s life? This scene was so problematic.”
Swara Bhasker on the work front
Profesionally, Swara Bhasker was last seen in ‘Jahaan Chaar Yaar’ and ‘Mimamsa.’
