Padmaavat row: Why open old wounds? BJP leaders explain why movies 'distorting history' should not be made

Commenting on the law and order problems that the movie has created, several politicians are claiming that such movies should not be made.

NEW DELHI: The controversial movie Padmaavat has been released across India on Thursday amid high security but opposition against the film is still continuing. Commenting on the law and order problems that the movie has created, several politicians are also claiming that such movies should not be made.

Explaining why there is no need to make movies on historical subjects, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy said: "It opens old wounds, and that is why such films should not be made. What is the historical value of it? Zero. They say it has nothing to do with history, then why are you making it."

Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs VK Singh also said that no one is allowed to misrepresent and distort the history in the name of freedom of expression. 

Defending the protests over the film, the minister said that protests are inevitable if anything is done without consensus. "Whenever we say something about history we must cross check it. Freedom of expression doesn't give us any right to tamper the history. We should pacify and resolve the situation by talking to the people, who are protesting against the film. They should be asked about their concerns and objections in the film. Whenever there are clashes of interest, things will certainly be messed up," Singh said.

Not just BJP, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh also backed protests against Padmaavat saying "Films which hurt sentiments of any religion or caste should not be made."

Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Padmaavat has been embroiled into a controversy since its inception. The movie that was earlier slated to release on December 1, 2017 had to be deferred owing to large scale protests over the movie by various Hindu and Rajput fringe outfits.

The Censor board also suggested several changes in the movie, even the title of the film was changed from Padmavati to Padmaavat.   

Despite opposition, the Supreme Court gave a green signal to the film for a pan-India release. The top court had set aside the notification passed by the states of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat to ban the release of the movie.