Foreign filmmakers at IFFI react to the 'Padmavati' controversy

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmavati' has been surrounded by controversy for ages now. People don't know fact from fiction but will protest to it nevertheless. The protests against 'Padmavati' have not only left the entire nation baffled but have also created a stir amongst filmmakers from abroad.

Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) artistic director Cameron Bailey, who were at the just-concluded 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), were vocal in their support for Bhansali. “Artistes face this kind of situations because of the talent and desire they have. That extends to filmmakers too. They should not stop innovation in their work because of adverse conditions,” Majid stated.

Michael J. Werner, a film and media strategic consultant who attended the Film Bazaar here, told a leading media agency, “I think it is a dangerous trend because you shouldn’t have a government dictating history. What is happening with this particular movie (‘Padmavati’) seems to be a minister or a department or a state saying that we don’t accept that representation of history. I don’t know whether it is factual or not, but it is still a kind of an autocratic response.”

French producer Ilann Girard feels a film shouldn’t be held hostage by any conflict. “I have been watching things on television and asking my Indian friends about the situation. I understand it touches some cultural element about a female character who is seen as a very important symbolic figure for Hindus,” he said. “My perception is that film and the cultural industry should not be taken hostage of the conflicts,” he added. "I have produced a film in Israel about the war in Lebanon, and we are facing some embargo from filmmakers trying to pressurise film festivals not to take our movie. I think it is a wrong thing to do. Because, on the contrary, the film explains the situation... Filmmakers should remain free to tell the story that they want,” he continued.

Cameron Bailey from TIFF, stated, "We can all have differences of opinion with any art form, but I think we live in a better world where we wait to actually see what the film is before we pass judgment. Also, we accept that other people have different responses to that. What I might not like to see on-screen, some others might. That doesn’t mean I should prevent that person from seeing it.”

Well, what do you think about their take on the 'Padmavati' controversy? Stay tuned for more updates.