January 22, 2025

After all the mayhem across north and west India, the Karni Sena has the gumption to hold a press conference and claim that they or any of their members were not involved in the violent protests. If this is true, where were these people when the mobs were on the rampage? Did they not think it fit to hold a press conference when first reports of mob violence broke? Was it not proper for them to go on air and announce that they had no hand in the violent protests and others were doing it to malign their name? It would have perhaps had a calming effect and would also have emboldened the wooden government to act against the miscreants without the fear of antagonizing the Rajput vote bank. But the Karni Sena chose to keep mum then. Now it says that people behind the movie engineered the mob violence for publicity. How convenient! Also, how utterly cheap!

The Karni Sena now says that it is ready to pay the cost of the movie to Bhansali if he assigns them the rights. Then, they say, they will organize a ‘jauhar’ of the films’ reels. Once again, the organization is missing the main point. It is not only about money. Right to freedom of speech and expression entitles every artist to portray a story or an event, either from an original manuscript or from his or her imagination, in his own way. In case of films, if his or her version is not found objectionable by the CBFC, the artist gets it released for a wide viewership. Applause from the people and the critics is the biggest return an artist yearns for. Money and awards come after that.

If the Karni Sena is so piqued at the way Bhansali has portrayed Rajput lifestyle in his film, the best and most civilized way for it is to commission a film of its own. They can engage the best historians to write the story, the best director to direct the film and the best actors to play the roles. No one can stop them from doing that. If their film passes the CBFC test, they can show it to the whole world. No one will attack their sets during the making of the film. No one will issue a death threat. No mobs will attack a school bus to prevent the release of their film. But what the Karni Sena and other bodies and persons identifying with it have been doing for the last one year or so has done more harm to the image of a Rajput than a mere film can ever do.