Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Padmaavat, which finally released on January 25, has been plagued by controversy ever since its inception. While the entire film fraternity has supported Padmaavat’s release throughout and even applauded Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor’s act in the film, actress Swara Bhaskar recently slammed director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for glorifying sati and jauhar in his film. In an open letter, she mentioned that while she looks up to Bhansali’s body of work, she feels that Padmaavat reduces women to ‘talking vaginas’.
As always, some are on Swara's side while others are busy trolling her on social media as he letter has now gone viral, sparking a debate online. Now after Shahid Kapoor, Suchitra Krishnamurthi and Raveena Tandon and others have taken a dig at Swara, the co-writers of Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela and lyricists of one of the songs from Padmaavat, Siddharth-Garima have responded to Swara by writing another open letter titled, An open letter to all Vaginas.
In the open letter, the writers have expressed their sheer displeasure on Swara's opinion. As the letter begins with the dictionary definition of feminism, the writers shed light on all the incidents in the film that depict Rani Padmini’s character as a strong queen.
“Now coming to the people who found Padmaavat regressive and found their feminism challenged by it. Did they feel like a ‘vagina’ when Rani Padmaavati almost orders her husband, who obliges, to throw out the lecherous priest? She takes a decision, as a vagina. Did they feel like a ‘vagina’ when Rani Padmaavati decides to show her face to Khilji in a mirror? Though it was her decision, as a vagina. Did they feel like a ‘vagina’ when Rani Padmaavati goes to ‘rescue’ her husband who had been abducted? Again, a decision against the system, as a vagina. They must have felt like a ‘vagina’ when she chose ‘fire’ over ‘rape’? It was her ‘call’, her ‘decision’ as a vagina. Right, wrong, strong, weak is up to you to interpret as a ‘penis’ or as a ‘vagina’.”, the open letter stated.
The writers further questioned the ‘equality of the sexes’ and clarified that the practice of Sati was different from Jauhar, shown in Padmaavat. “And factually speaking – ‘Sati’ was a practice (forced tradition) where women self-immolate themselves (mostly by force, sometimes by will) after the husbands’ death. Similar tradition called ‘Saka’ was observed by men who face a certain death in the battlefield. ‘Jauhar’ is only and only out of free will. As a woman. And as a ‘vagina’. So people who feel like a ‘vagina’ after watching Padmaavati, should continue to feel like a ‘vagina’ for they would never understand the power it has. The power to create and run the world. Such people are the biggest road-blocks for ‘feminism’.”
Read the full letter here.
