'Rape survivors have a right to life': Swara Bhasker on backlash over Deepika Padukone's Padmaavat Jauhar remark; Karni Sena slams actor

Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker often grabs headlines for her statements in the media and finds herself embroiled in controversies. Once again, Swara’s remarks on Hindu rituals and customs have drawn backlash. This time, Swara has spoken about Deepika Padukone’s 2018 film Padmaavat and its Jauhar sequence, saying that the portrayal could send the wrong message to rape survivors. Swara spoke about age-old customs at the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ talk at the India International Centre in Delhi on August 31.

Speaking at the event, Swara made a controversial statement about the Jauhar sequence shown towards the end of the film and said that it could send the wrong message to rape survivors. She said, “I was watching it, and I thought that if God forbid, I was a rape survivor, what is this film telling me? I would feel like a coward that I didn’t commit suicide to save my honour. Is that what you want to tell in a society like ours where I feel like anyway there is a rape epidemic? Is this what we want to tell our survivors that they don’t deserve to live, that if you actually would have been an honourable and brave woman, you would have killed yourself? Are we saying that rape is the end of a woman’s life? This scene was so problematic.”

She added, “Then there was this one shot, which made me so mad that I shouted ‘chhi’ loudly. There is a close-up of a pregnant woman’s belly performing Jauhar. So you are telling me that fetus, which might be a female, doesn’t deserve to be born because she might be raped by a Muslim ruler. I was so mad. I waited for five days to check if I still feel like that, and after five days, I wrote a letter.”

Swara Bhasker trolled for targeting Deepika Padukone's Padmaavat Jauhar remarks

Many criticised Swara for bringing up the 2018 Jauhar sequence from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film. Several users argued that the historical practice should not be described as cowardice, but should be understood in the context of the circumstances and violence faced by women at the time.

Another comment read, “Does this lady even realise how Mughals kept Hindu women in captivity and treated them as sex slaves? IQ in Minus.”

Another user called Swara’s comment “malicious”.

“Jauhar was a lot of things but it certainly wasn’t a ‘cowardly act’. Swara Bhaskar is wrong here, that much I can say as a student of history. You can debate mass immolation, but you can’t call it cowardice; that’s just being malicious,” the user said.

‘So many people are triggered…’: Swara Bhasker hits back at trolls

Now, hitting back at the criticism, Swara shared an Instagram Story, saying it is “wild” that so many people, including women, were triggered by her statement.

Swara shared a photo on her Instagram Story with the caption, “It is WILD that so many people are triggered (women included) by the basic idea that rape survivors have a right to life after rape! (sic)”

Swara maintained that her criticism was directed at the message she believed the film’s portrayal could send to survivors of sexual violence.

She also said that women have the right to live after experiencing rape and urged people to listen to her complete statement before drawing conclusions about what she meant.

Karni Sena reacts to Swara Bhasker

Reacting to Swara’s comments, Kirti Rathore, national president of the Karni Sena Women’s Wing, criticised the actor and said discussions about Rajput traditions and sacrifices should be based on historical facts and context.

Rathore said criticism of historical practices should not become disrespectful towards Rajput history and traditions. She also urged Swara to be more careful with her language while speaking about Sanatan traditions.

According to Rathore, Jauhar needs to be understood in the social and historical circumstances in which it was practised. She said the Karni Sena would object to comments that it believes diminish the sacrifices and valour associated with Rajput women.

‘Ready To Face Any Punishment’: Fahad Ahmad

In a post on X on Tuesday night, Ahmad said, “Mujhe ek vyakti yeh sabit kar de ki @ReallySwara ne Rani Padmavati ko kayar kaha hai.” He added that they were ready to face not just an apology but ‘whatever punishment the law of India prescribes’ if the allegation could be established. Ahmad further accused his critics of presenting ‘lies as truth’ and said his fight would continue against what he described as a ‘hatred ideology.’

The controversy erupted after a video clip of Swara discussing the climax of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat began circulating on social media. Critics alleged that the actor had described Rani Padmavati and women who performed Jauhar as cowards. Swara has now issued a clarification, claiming that her comments were being wrongly translated and that a false narrative was being circulated against her.

What is Padmaavat controversy?

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh, was released in January 2018 after months of protests and controversy over its depiction of Rajput history.

The film was inspired by Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s 16th-century epic poem Padmavat and revolves around Rani Padmavati, Ratan Singh and Alauddin Khilji. The film’s portrayal of Jauhar was one of the most sensitive aspects of the controversy surrounding its release.