Swara Bhasker Clarifies Controversial Comments on 'Padmaavat' Jauhar Scene
Mumbai Actor Addresses Misinterpretation of Her Remarks
Mumbai: Actress Swara Bhasker has responded to backlash regarding her comments on the Jauhar scene from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2018 film Padmaavat, stating that her words were 'completely misinterpreted' online. She clarified that she never labeled Rani Padmavati or the women who performed Jauhar as 'cowards'.
The actress faced significant criticism on social media after remarks made during an event on Monday, where she expressed concerns that the film glorified Jauhar, a practice among certain Rajput communities where women would commit mass self-immolation to evade capture or sexual violence when defeat was imminent.
In a video shared on X on Tuesday night, Bhasker elaborated on her comments. She explained, 'This morning, a clip of mine has been going viral on social media. It was from an event yesterday, where I was asked why I had sent an open letter to Sanjay Leela Bhansali after watching Padmaavat. While explaining my issue, I said something that is now being completely mistranslated and spread falsely, claiming that I had said that Rani Padmavati and the other women who committed Jauhar were cowards.'
She further stated, 'While watching the climax, I felt that, God forbid, if I were a rape survivor, the film might make me feel cowardly for not taking my own life and for having chosen to survive after the assault.'
Aapko angrezi nahi samajh aati toh AI translation ka Sahara lein… this headline is entirely inaccurate … No where have I called Padmaavat or Padmaavati a coward- that’s not my critique at all. https://t.co/v8Xcy3M2dR
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) September 1, 2026
Padmaavat, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, is a period drama inspired by the 16th-century epic poem Padmavat by Malik Muhammad Jayasi. The narrative centers around Rani Padmavati of Mewar, portrayed by Deepika Padukone, and her husband Maharawal Ratan Singh, played by Shahid Kapoor, whose kingdom faces an invasion from Sultan Alauddin Khilji, enacted by Ranveer Singh.
The film culminates in Padmavati and the women of Chittor committing Jauhar to escape capture following Khilji's assault. Bhasker had previously written to Bhansali expressing her discomfort with this portrayal.
In her video, she referenced a recent gang-rape incident in Delhi, highlighting a 'rape epidemic' in the country. She questioned, 'Should we be making films that send the message that a woman’s purity is more valuable than her life? Should we be telling survivors of rape that it would have been better if they had died, and that surviving is somehow a bad thing?'
During the event on August 31, Bhasker criticized the representation of Jauhar in Padmaavat, questioning the implications of the film's final scenes. She remarked, '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... Are we saying that rape is the end of a woman’s life? This scene was so problematic.'
The video from the event gained traction on social media, leading to widespread criticism of the actress for her statements.