The Supreme Court on Monday (23 April) rejected the plea for the cutting of the scenes from Padmaavat (2018) that eulogize sati. The film showed Rani Padmavati committing johar (self immolation) with hundreds of women from her kingdom.
Rejecting the plea by petitioner, Swami Agnivesh, the bench of chief justice Dipak Misra, justice AM Khanwilkar and justice DY Chandrachud said that once a film is given certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), there is nothing that can constitute an offence.
The court said this as counsel for Agnivesh sought registration of FIR (First Information Report) against the producer and director of the film as scenes eulogising the act were against the laws banning sati.
Referring to the novel Devdas by eminent Bengali classic novelist Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, chief justice Misra said, "Read the book and see its celluloid version in which veteran actor Dilip Kumar has performed the role of main character Devdas — who turns alcoholic for the loss of love."
Noting that the writer was critical of this character and never justified being alcoholic, he asked, "Has any lover become alcoholic because of the film Devdas?", while telling the lawyer that he was "trying to make a mountain out of trivial things".
As the lawyer said that some of his friends have become alcoholic, justice Khanwilkar said, "Sir, you keep bad company."
Padmaavat which saw a lot of protests and resistance before it was released, was a roaring success at the box office.
Featuring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor, it was filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's take on 16th century Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi's epic poem Padmavat.