Padmaavat - Let the people Judge Why is so much fuss is being made over this “Padmaavat” movie? It beats all logical reasoning and imagination. There are so many people involved behind the making of a movie, is it fair to ban it just because some elements may have some issues with it? Let the people decide. In today's times, movies run just a few days during which time the Producer recovers most of his money and if the movie is good the profits will roll in. Then the next week comes and the next movie releases. That is the kind of a shelf life that a movie has. So many movies which have been opposed in the past, when these have been released we are left to wonder what this fuss is all about. Is it really worth it?
There is a need to differentiate between the real world and the reel world. The reel world is more of fun and entertainment. We watch films to be entertained. Kishore Kumar in one of his interviews illustrated this when he said, “When a man and a woman roll over each other on velvet grass in Kashmir valley, you expect them to make love - not sing in the voices of Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.” But that is exactly how our movies are. We cannot expect them to be reality all the time. There will be a separate bracket for that, a documentary film genre. But in popular cinema which is made for the masses, some element of creative expression will always be there. Songs, music and dance have always been integral to Hindi cinema. What would our movies be without that? The Indian audience loves to be entertained by the voices of Kishore, Lata, Mukesh, Asha, Rafi and now Arijit and Shreya. The Ghoomar song should be seen in this context and backdrop, that it is after all a work of fiction. The movie, “Padmaavat” likewise might have elements of fiction and creative liberties taken in it, so what? So many other movies on historical characters have been made in the past which have songs and other creative liberties. Many of these have also been critically acclaimed and have been well appreciated by the people. Let the audience similarly judge this one. The Supreme Court decision has now come and these fringe groups must now respect it. The State is duty bound to protect our Constitutional freedoms. Just let us enjoy our movies. warm regards, Sandeep Heble
