Legendary director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali came under the radar of various activists during the shooting of his latest period drama, Padmavati. Padmavati, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor in the lead roles is a tale of Rani Padmini or Padmavati who defended her morals during the invasion of Alauddin Khilji. The recent violence against the director on the sets of the movie intruded many learn more about the historical Queen, that the Karni Sena was apparently protecting. However, a browse through the history textbooks gives a bizarre representation of the queen. Now, VHP objects to ‘Padmavati’
Rani Padmavati has been seen as one of the proud Rajput heritage. Padmavati’s tale of defending her honour against the Muslim invader, Alauddin Khilji has been told through the years and has made her a historical figure in several novels, plays and television. While most history books speak of the birth, childhood and life of historical characters like Prithviraj Chauhan, Shivaji Maharaj, etc. the first mention of Padmavati was found in a 1540 CE Awadhi language poem by Malik Muhammad Jayasi. The poem, Padmavat mentions the beauty of Rani Padmavati and her association in Alauddin Khilji’s conquest of Chittorgarh. Before this Sufi poem, there are no mentions of the queen of Chittorgarh. Bhansali slapped: Padmavati stars Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor react to incident!
The heart touching poem, Padmavat, inspired many artists to re-tell this tale of the queen and her pride. Between 16th and 19th centuries, at least 12 Persian and Urdu translations or adaptations of Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s Padmavat were produced. This trend continued well into the 20th century, and various Bengali narratives of the story were published. These stories portrayed Padmavati as the Hindu queen who immolated herself to protect her honour against the lustful Muslim invader, Alauddin Khilji.
The tale of Padmavati states that the deceitful Sultan of Delhi, Alauddin Khilji was mesmerised by the beauty of Rani Padmavati and the stories he heard. This motivated him in his conquest of Chittorgarh, which was ruled by the Rajput ruler, Ratan Singh. The story of Padmavat says that Alauddin Khilji visited the palace in Chittorgarh and asked Raja Ratan Singh for his permission to look at Padmavati, the beautiful queen he has heard stories about. The Queen finally agreed to show her reflection in the water. Alaudin Khilji fell in love with Rani Padmavati’s beauty at first sight and decided that he had to secure the queen. During his return from the palace, Alauddin Khilji abducted Ratan Singh and sent a message that he could only be rescued by trading Rani Padmavati as a mistress.
However, Padmavati’s maternal uncle Gora, took it upon himself to bring the king back without agreeing to this gruesome deal. The brave Chauhan Rajput managed to plan the escape of King Ratan Singh but lost his life in this mission. It was this incident that triggered Alauddin Khilji’s plans of invading Chittorgarh, which he succeeded in. Rani Padmavati, committed suicide along with her companions by self-immolation before Alauddin Khilji could win her over. The tale of her efforts to defend her honour has been set as an example ever since the poem, Padmavat, gained popularity.