Historical films and biopics: India
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Allegations of inaccuracy
From K Asif to Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been criticised for a supposedly “inaccurate“ portrayal of Peshwa Bajirao in his film Bajirao Mastani. But when has a Bollywood movie been strictly faithful to the facts? K Asif had also taken major liberties with his monumental epic Mughal-e-Azam, which portrayed Salim's rebellion against Emperor Akbar, a prince's straightforward lunge for power, as a poignant story about the legendary Anarkali. More recently , Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar also recklessly “distorted“ history to tell the story of a Mughal emperor and a Rajput princess.
All too often, these movie-myths become hugely popular, to the point that historians complain that actual histo ry is sidelined. “Images leave impressions,“ says Ali Nadeem Rezavi, professor at Aligarh Muslim Univer sity. For instance, he says, as an Akbar scholar for decades, he finds it hard to undo the Prithviraj Kapoor role in Mughal e-Azam, whenever Akbar is mentioned. “Take Bairam Khan, who tutored Akbar -he was a cultured and scholarly man, but because TV serials depict him as a ruthless savage, that is the impression my daughter has formed of him.“
In Deshpande's view, history as entertainment is different from academic history .“A society needs to be liberal, enlightened and have a sense of humour to enjoy its mythical past as an interesting story ,“ he says. India is not that society, or not yet. But with the Bhansali incident, the pressing question “is not of poetic myth and historical fact, but the value of freedom in a democracy ,“ he says “The Indian state simply has not acted strongly against the enemies of open society“.
