A lie is being created: Swara Bhasker claims jauhar remarks were mistranslated

Actor Swara Bhasker has responded to the criticism she received after calling the jauhar sequence in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat “problematic”. In a video message, Swara questioned those who, according to her, misinterpreted her comments made at a recent event and drew their own conclusions about what she meant.Clarifying her stance, the actor said she never questioned Rani Padmavati or the women who died during jauhar. Instead, she said her criticism was directed at the film’s portrayal of jauhar, and the way it connects sexual violence, women’s honour and the choice between death and survival.In the video, the actor claimed that her words are being ‘wrongly’ translated and urged everyone to watch the original video before making any comments.“Ek aur din and ek aur Twitter controversy. Aaj subha se Twitter aur social media pe ek mera clip viral ho raha hai jo maine kale k event bola, mujhse poocha gaya tha ki Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir ko jo open letter maine Padmavat ke upar likha tha, voh main kyun likha tha. Toh jawab dene main jab main samjha rahi thi meri dikkat kya thi, maine kuch kaha tha jo ab sarasar galat tareeke se anuvaadit ho raha hai. Aur jo ek jhooth banakar phailaya jaa raha hai ki maine ye kaha ki Rani Padmavati aur jo baaki mahilao ne jauhar kiya tha voh kayar hai.” (Another day, another Twitter controversy. Since this morning, a clip of mine from an event I attended has been going viral on Twitter and social media. I was asked why I had written the open letter to Mr Sanjay Leela Bhansali regarding Padmavaat. While answering and explaining what my issue was, I said something that is now being completely mistranslated. A lie is being created and spread that I said Rani Padmavati and the other women who performed Jauhar were cowards.)She added, "Main clearly kehna chahti hoon ki maine kattayi aisa nahi kaha ki Rani Padmavati kayar thi ya voh baaki mahilaye mahal ki raniya ya jo aurtein thi jinhone jauhar kiya tha voh kayar thi. Maine kya kaha, English main kaha tha aur uska anuvaad main khud karke bata deti hoon kyunki jab bhasha samajh nahi ati, pooch lena chahiye ya check kar lena chahiye. Mangharan jhooth banakar phailana nahi chahiye aur logon ko uttejit nahi karna chahiye. Aur jo log mujhe gaaliya dena chahte hai, dijiye lekin sahi cheez par dijiye." (I want to make it absolutely clear that I did not say that Rani Padmavati was a coward, nor did I say that the other women — the queens of the palace or the women who performed Jauhar — were cowards. What I said was in English, and I will translate it myself because when you don’t understand a language, you should ask or verify it. You should not fabricate lies and spread them or incite people. And those who want to abuse me, please do so, but at least do it for the right thing. I had said)She then repeated and translated her comments for people who misinterpreted it. "Maine kaha tha (I said) while watching the climax, I felt that god forbid if I would have been a rape victim, I would have felt like a coward that I did not kill myself.She captioned the video and wrote, “My video clip has gone viral—it’s being wrongly and falsely translated! I absolutely did not say that Queen Padmavati or any sati was a coward. It’s shameful that media channels and people are repeatedly leveling false accusations to incite people. If you want to hurl abuses, then do so—but do it on the basis of my actual statement!!! Listen and share. Women have the right to life even after rape.”In another post, she defended her stance and said, “It is WILD that so many people are triggered (women included) by the basic idea that rape survivors have a right to life after rape! (sic)”She shared another post accusing headlines and social media users of misrepresenting what she said. “Number of people tweeting in English but not understanding English is a revelation to me today! The headlines are LYING! Listen to the freakin’ clip you geniuses (sic).”The controversy erupted after Swara revisited her concerns about the jauhar sequence during an event in Delhi. She spoke about the scene which depicts around 800 women choosing to die rather than face sexual violence.Recalling her reaction to the scene, she said, “I’m watching this and all of these 800 women committing Jauhar... God forbid if I was a rape survivor, what is this film telling me? I would feel like a coward. That I didn’t kill myself to save my ‘honour’.”Swara also recalled a particular moment in the sequence involving a pregnant woman, saying the visual left her “so mad” and prompted her to react with “chi.” Questioning the message conveyed by the scene, she asked, “So, you are saying that a fetus that might be a female does not deserve to be born because she might be raped by a Muslim ruler?”The actor further revealed that she did not immediately write her open letter after watching Padmaavat. Instead, she waited five days to see whether her concerns remained unchanged.Meanwhile, Swara was last seen in the show Pati, Patni Aur Panga, and her last film was Jahaan Chaar Yaar (2022).- EndsPublished By: Prachi aryaPublished On: Sep 2, 2026 06:23 IST