Remember the hullaballoo during the release of Padmavaat? The turmoil and debacles all across the country that it came up with? Well, Indian cinema has long time fabricated facts, and in most cases, the dispute has been heavily disappointing, especially to those who are aware of the ‘history’. However, Indians have predominantly been restricted from embracing the country’s history. All ‘half-truths’ lying on the shelves from both sides of the coin, and amid this, it becomes a bit paranoid for the audience to be able to identify the truth, especially when showcased in those high-held theatres with all the busy camera work!
No wonder there has always been a stonking mayhem in the country before every such film’s release in the theatres. Many call it a publicity stunt; many call it legitimate.
We don’t want to get ‘opinionated’ with this already classy ‘clay’; therefore, share eight movies, leading to controversies for distorting historical facts!
Padmavaat
The 2018 movie emerged into a nationwide debacle after the dispute came out that there’s a dream sequence in the movie where the Muslim emperor Alauddin Khilji attacks an empire after getting all fascinated with the beauty of the queen Padmavati, who was a Rajput Hindu. This created an outrage, and the right wing demanded the movie be banned. However, speaking of Padmavati, most Historians claim that no queen in the name of Padmavati ever existed. Still, the historians from Rajasthan contended that there was, as mentioned in BBC.
Samrat Prithviraj
The film failed miserably at the box office after historians noted its inaccuracies. Historians believe the movie was based on Chand Bardai’s poem Prithviraj Raso. The poem was written for the king’s court. However, historians have claimed that the account was a fabricated one that was written in the era of the 16th century, 350 years after Samrat’s death, as mentioned in BBC.
Gangubai Kathiawadi
The Sanjay Leela Bhansali-helmed movie got into legal trouble before its release after the family claimed that Gangu was not a prostitute. Speaking to Aaj Tak, Gangubai’s adopted son Baburao mentioned that his mother, Gangu was a social worker, whereas the film has asserted her as a prostitute. He said, “They have turned my mother into a sex worker, and people say things about her. I do not like it.”
Bajirao Mastani
Bajirao Mastani landed in controversy after 52-year-old Mahendra, the ninth descendant of the king, claimed that the film had portrayed some significant inaccurate facts in the movie, and they were not happy with it. Udaysinh Peshwa, the eighth descendant, at a press conference, said that the song ‘Pinga’, where Mastani and Kashibai dancing are together, is impossible even to occur. It never happened. The family had serious objections towards the portrayal of the character of Radhabai in the movie. Mahendra talking to Huff Post, said, “Radhabai was an earnest, strict woman. She was brave, ran the entire Peshwa household by herself and was known to keep everyone on a tight reign. It is said in our family that even her daughter-in-law had to make an appointment to see her,”. In the movie, he was petrified to see Radhabai, as a widow, in a white saree with a bald head.
Indu Sarkar
The Madhur Bhandarkar-helmed movie marked controversy upright before its release. The Congress party demanded that the film be shown to them first and then should only go to theatres. The party claimed that they are concerned about the portrayal of the leaders of the political party. The movie starred Neil Nitin Mukesh and Kirti Kulhari in the lead roles. However, as mentioned in India Times, the Bombay High Court dismissed the plea, kept in front by Singh Paul.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose – The Forgotten Hero
The film got into major controversies, from its name to its romantic scenes. The phrase ‘The Forgotten Hero’ did not go well with the sentiments of Bose’s admirers, and therefore wanted it removed from the film’s title. The film also showcased the leader as a married man, and owing to the romantic scenes in the movie, a group of five scholars appealed to the Calcutta High Court, as mentioned in India Times.
23rd March 1931: Shaheed and The Legend of Bhagat Singh
These two movies rolled into controversies in the year 2002. Ajay Devgn, who starred as the lead in the film The Legend of Bhagat Singh, was called out because he was glorifying Russia and was witnessed reading a book by Lenin. While 23rd March 1931: Shaheed starring Bobby Deol in the lead, got called out, as the film showcased him (as Bhagat Singh) engaged to a woman from Manawalegaon, as mentioned in India Times.
Jodhaa Akbar
The movie, which is said to be based on the love story between Akbar and his queen Jodhaabai, rose to controversy in 2008, for there were claims that there were historical inaccuracies in the movie of different events. Some claimed that Jodhaa was Akbar’s third wife and favourite queen. The lawsuits also state that their marriage was considered a medium to bring peace between the Rajputs and Mughals by Akbar, as mentioned in The Week.