Padmavati had us on the edge of our seats from the very beginning when the posters released and later the trailer got our hearts racing. This breathtaking film by Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been delayed due to blatant protests by religious groups, the government, and even the censor board. But that isn’t all, members of the fringe religious group Karni Sena threatened to cut off Deepika Padukone’s nose and another group offered a bounty on her head. What for? She’s an actress who’s playing a fictional role (Sanjay Leela admits the story is fictionalised), and is now receiving life threats for the same!
There is another feisty lady who has been in the news for the past few weeks, Manushi Chillar, the newly crowned Miss World 2017 has faced her fair share of backlash as well but was welcomed with open arms when she returned to Mumbai. Even Prime Minister Modi congratulated the 20-year-old medical student on her achievement! Manushi was also seen performing Nagada Sang Dhol from Sanjay Leela’s Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela for a round at the Miss World competition when contestants were asked to perform dances from their respective countries.
At her homecoming press conference, Manushi was asked about the controversy surrounding Deepika Padukone in Padmavati and she had a few words of wisdom to share, “I feel if there’s one thing all Indian women have in common is that we don’t feel persecuted for who we are. We face our challenges head-on. That’s what we need to do. We need to be confident in who we are. Definitely, we will face a lot of limitations and sometimes we feel it isn’t a women-friendly society. But as individuals, we should set an example and make women feel confident that you can do amazing things.”
Preach, woman!
