Swara Bhasker Faces Protest In Agra Over ‘Johar’ Remarks, ₹1.51 Lakh Reward Announced For Cutting Her Tongue

Actor Swara Bhasker has faced protests in Agra following her recent remarks questioning the portrayal of johar in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmaavat. A group identified as the Yogi Youth Brigade protested against the actor on Tuesday, burning and trampling her posters.

The protest was led by Yogi Youth Brigade state president Kunwar Ajay Tomar, who criticised Bhasker for questioning the courage and sacrifice associated with Rani Padmavati and other Rajput women who performed johar. Tomar alleged that the actor did not understand the historical circumstances surrounding the practice.

During the protest, Tomar announced a reward of ₹1.51 lakh for anyone who cuts Bhasker’s tongue. He also reportedly used abusive language against the actor.

What did Swara Bhasker say about Johar?

The controversy began after Bhasker spoke about the johar sequence in Padmaavat at a ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ event held at the India International Centre in Delhi on August 31.

Bhasker questioned whether portraying johar as an act of honour could send a troubling message to women who survive sexual violence. She raised concerns about whether films should present a woman’s physical purity or honour as being more valuable than her life.

While discussing the film’s climax, Bhasker said she would have questioned the message conveyed to a rape survivor by a portrayal in which women choose death rather than survive sexual violence. She also questioned whether such depictions could make survivors feel that they should have died rather than lived.

Swara Bhasker clarifies her remarks

Following the backlash, Bhasker shared a video on social media to clarify her comments. She said she had never called Rani Padmavati or the women who performed johar cowards.

Bhasker maintained that her criticism was directed at the way contemporary cinema portrays and glorifies historical practices, rather than at the women depicted in the film.

She also said rape survivors should never be made to feel that surviving sexual violence makes them less courageous.

Karni Sena also objects to remarks

The controversy has also drawn criticism from members of the Karni Sena. Its women’s wing national president Kirti Rathore objected to Bhasker’s comments and argued that discussions about johar and the sacrifice of Rajput women should take the historical context of the period into account.

The dispute has since expanded into a wider debate over the portrayal of historical traditions in cinema, women’s right to life and the way such subjects are interpreted in contemporary society.