While the Karni Sena in India has finally agreed to let go of the Padmavaat controversy, the movie has hit a ban in Muslim-dominated Malaysia.
The reason for the ban is exactly the opposite of the reason it was getting Karni Sena bashing here. The film has been banned for depicting Delhi’s Sultan Alauddin Khilji – played by actor, Ranveer Singh – as a lustful barbarian with queer tastes and scant respect for Islam.
“He is portrayed as a Sultan who is arrogant, cruel, inhumane, devious with all kinds of trickery, unreliable and who does not fully practice Islamic teachings,” the ministry said in a statement.
Also Read: After an year of protest, Karni Sena accepts Padmaavat glorifies Rajput valour
Malaysia’s Film Censorship Board ruled that the movie was “not approved for screening”, while an appeal lodged by the film’s distributors was rejected on Tuesday, the ministry said.
Ethnic Indians make 7% of Malaysia’s population and Bollywood films are a huge draw there.
The country has earlier blocked release of some other Hollywood films including, Disney’s The Beauty and The Beast for alleged queer character depiction and Babe which was the story of a piglet for being the story of a baby pig because pigs are considered unclean and thus, relegated to unholy status in Islam.
However, this government ban is in complete opposition to the one demanded by Karni Sena in India – which was quashed by the Supreme Court – alleging unglorification of the Hindu Rajputs.
Bollywood movies are a huge draw in Malaysia and which is why it is going to be a financial damper for the makers. Seems like the movie is either jinxed or highly politicized making it hit glitches everywhere despite it being a fictitious tale written by a Sufi Muslim poet, Malik Mohammad Jaisi, who used the names of real characters from different time frames in history to weave a tale of love and lust depicting good and evil in humans.
Padmavaat has been criticized here in India too for it’s depiction of Khilji as a lust-addled barbarian while the portrayal of the Rajput Hindu king and queen have been slammed for being one-dimensional and playing to the gallery with heavy dialogues. It has also created a stir among feminists and others for glorifying the cruel and barbaric practice of Sati.
However, the film is doing very well at the Box Office in the wake of the various controversies that have been swirling around it from the time it went on floor.