Shyam Benegal says he will see Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film which is based on the same poem which had inspired his Padmavati episode in the Bharat Ek Khoj television series

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 25, 2018)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama Padmaavat opens in the theatres today and even as Ranveer Singh takes on the menacing avatar of Alauddin Khilji, one is reminded of another actor, the late Om Puri, who had played the same role with equal elan but in a more understated way as a ruthless statesman in Shyam Benegal’s ambitious 53-part TV series in the late ’80s, Bharat Ek Khoj. Seema Kelkar was the legendary Queen, a role Deepika Padukone takes on in the film, with Rajendra Gupta as her husband, Raja Ratansen (Shahid Kapoor is Raja Ratan Singh today). Sanjay Leela Bhansali was a part of the TV series too.

“His sister, Bela Sehgal, was the chief editor on the series and Sanjay was assisting her. The brother-sister duo was working together and his name even featured in the credits as part of the team that edited this particular episode (along with Dilip Panda, Chakradhar Sahu and Ashok Swami),” reminisces Benegal.

Ask him why Padmavati featured in the series and he states that it is a “part of India’s history”. “We know that Khilji laid siege on the Chittorgarh Fort and the popular belief is that he had wanted to possess Queen Padmini, known for her legendary beauty, even though he never met her. He only saw her reflection in a moat and a mirror, according to the poem,” informs the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan recepient.

Khilji appears in episodes 25 and 26 of the series which were aired in 1988-’89 on the national broadcaster Doordarshan. In the first episode, he is seen trying to find the reason behind the revolts and conspiracies in his kingdom and quells them with executions while episode 26 is completely based on Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s 16th century epic poem Padmavat which has also inspired Bhansali’s film.

Benegal refuses to be drawn into a debate on whether Rani Padmini really existed since he is not a scholar of history of that period. But he does argue that this particular poem has been accepted as a literary classic and has retained its bearing as it were for all these centuries. “Padmaavat is like Kalidasa’s Meghdoot, a great classic that people know. In that part of the country, it is sung as a ballad,” says the veteran filmmaker who even used the “Ghoomar” song in his series without any objections being raised. “I got Ila Arun and a popular folk singer from Rajasthan to sing for me.”

However, Benegal did not show the queen committing jauhar as is seen in the film. “It was difficult to depict it on screen but we did mention it. There is a reference to jauhar in the poem as well,” the filmmaker says.

Quiz Benegal on whether he faced any kind of disruption during the shoot like Bhansali and he is quick to retort, “None, there were no issues. The shooting happened without incident.”

So how does one explain the controversies that have dogged Padmaavat since the film rolled, right up to its release? “There must be some political reason for it. Some political consolidation is happening somewhere. I don’t want to speculate on it as I don’t understand the inner politics of Rajasthan where the problem appears to be,” Benegal shrugs.

Will he see the film? “Most definitely I will. I would like to know what the fuss is about,” he signs off on an enthusiastic note.