<p>Soon after the Rajput Karni Sena withdrew its agitation against ‘Padmaavat’ saying that there is no objectionable content in the film, another group, the Sarva Brahman Mahasabha in Rajasthan, started protesting against the film ‘Manikarnika’, directed by Krish and starring Kangana Ranaut.<br /><br />Their reason? Historical tampering of queen Laxmi Bai! On Saturday, however, the Sarva Brahman Mahasabha also called off their protest after a written assurance from the producer that there was no distortion of history in the movie.<br /><br />Are these protests in a way promoting the film and the fringe groups themselves? <br />Amutha Manavalan, an academician specialising in Public Relations, says, “These disputes tend to boost the publicity of these groups on a national level.”<br /><br />“When they are associated with a brand that is already popular, their brand value also increases. Having said that, these groups are also giving an indirect negative publicity to films like ‘Padmaavat’ and ‘Manikarnika’. This evokes curiosity among viewers and pulls many to the theatres,” says Amutha. <br /><br />After Karni Sena withdrew their protests, many have started wondering whether it was a big PR stunt put up by the makers of the movie. What is it about period films that they go through such controversies? <br /><br />“We need to understand that these films are historical reconstructions and not historical documents. And films are a medium of expression. If one says that they have a problem with such reconstruction, I think the entire argument is at fault. Secondly, if we say that we have a problem with historical reconstructions, then we also need to have a problem with history channels where every series or episode is a reconstruction,” says Aasita Bali, a film scholar. <br /><br />“A sensible filmmaker like Sanjay Leela Bhansali would go through the rigorous process of verifying facts before making the film. That’s when we need to identify where the problem is. Is it the filmmaker, the film or the medium itself? Or do they have a problem with women’s stories? ‘Manikarnika’, the story of Jhansi Ki Rani, is again a story that we all have heard as kids.There is nothing new. So where is the problem? Does this mean, it is all about grabbing eyeballs or are these groups genuinely concerned?” asks Aasita.<br /><br />Since these protests have pulled people to the theatres, many film enthusiasts like Priyanka Bhaduri feels that it is hard to tell whether it was well-planned PR campaign or whether sentiments were genuinely hurt. <br /><br />“Things could have been discussed between the parties. Ultimately even the Karni Sena, agreed that the film, in fact, glorified history. But whatever it was, it worked well for ‘Padmaavat’ and I think the entire cast and crew did a brilliant job.”</p>
<p>Soon after the Rajput Karni Sena withdrew its agitation against ‘Padmaavat’ saying that there is no objectionable content in the film, another group, the Sarva Brahman Mahasabha in Rajasthan, started protesting against the film ‘Manikarnika’, directed by Krish and starring Kangana Ranaut.<br /><br />Their reason? Historical tampering of queen Laxmi Bai! On Saturday, however, the Sarva Brahman Mahasabha also called off their protest after a written assurance from the producer that there was no distortion of history in the movie.<br /><br />Are these protests in a way promoting the film and the fringe groups themselves? <br />Amutha Manavalan, an academician specialising in Public Relations, says, “These disputes tend to boost the publicity of these groups on a national level.”<br /><br />“When they are associated with a brand that is already popular, their brand value also increases. Having said that, these groups are also giving an indirect negative publicity to films like ‘Padmaavat’ and ‘Manikarnika’. This evokes curiosity among viewers and pulls many to the theatres,” says Amutha. <br /><br />After Karni Sena withdrew their protests, many have started wondering whether it was a big PR stunt put up by the makers of the movie. What is it about period films that they go through such controversies? <br /><br />“We need to understand that these films are historical reconstructions and not historical documents. And films are a medium of expression. If one says that they have a problem with such reconstruction, I think the entire argument is at fault. Secondly, if we say that we have a problem with historical reconstructions, then we also need to have a problem with history channels where every series or episode is a reconstruction,” says Aasita Bali, a film scholar. <br /><br />“A sensible filmmaker like Sanjay Leela Bhansali would go through the rigorous process of verifying facts before making the film. That’s when we need to identify where the problem is. Is it the filmmaker, the film or the medium itself? Or do they have a problem with women’s stories? ‘Manikarnika’, the story of Jhansi Ki Rani, is again a story that we all have heard as kids.There is nothing new. So where is the problem? Does this mean, it is all about grabbing eyeballs or are these groups genuinely concerned?” asks Aasita.<br /><br />Since these protests have pulled people to the theatres, many film enthusiasts like Priyanka Bhaduri feels that it is hard to tell whether it was well-planned PR campaign or whether sentiments were genuinely hurt. <br /><br />“Things could have been discussed between the parties. Ultimately even the Karni Sena, agreed that the film, in fact, glorified history. But whatever it was, it worked well for ‘Padmaavat’ and I think the entire cast and crew did a brilliant job.”</p>
