Prithviraj Film Controversy – Burning Issues

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The News

A Rajasthan based Rajput outfit ‘Karni sena’ has disrupted shoot of ‘Prithviraj’, an upcoming historical movie featuring Akshay Kumar.
The members stormed into the film’s sets near Jaipur last week and the director Chandraprakash Dwivedi was asked to stop shooting.

Misrepresentation of ‘facts’ – The sena asked the producers not to tamper with ‘historical’ facts as many Bollywood productions have done before.
Karni Sena* had earlier also protested against Bollywood films Padmaavat (2018) and Jodha Akbar (2008) over misrepresentation of historic facts.

Prithviraj III or Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora was a king of the Chahamana(Chauhan) dynasty that ruled north-western India in 11^th and 12^th
Reign : 1178 – 1192 CE
The Shakambhari Chahamans during his reign controlled much of the present-day Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
Prithviraj wages successfully wars against neighbours and expanded the kingdom to great heights.

Prithviraj repulsed the early invasions by Muhammad of Ghor, a ruler of the Muslim Ghurid dynasty
Landmark battles –
1191 – First Battle of Tarain (won by Chahamans)
1192 – Second Battle of Tarain – the Ghurids defeated Chauhan Army
His defeat at Tarain is seen as a landmark event in theIslamic conquest of India, and has been described in several semi-legendary accounts.

Prithviraj Raso, which popularized Prithviraj as a great king, is purported to be written by the king’s court poet Chand Bardai.
However, it is full of exaggerated accounts and considered to be a eulogy by most Historians.
Various versions (of differing length) of the text exist.
Much of the information about Prithviraj also comes from the medieval legendary chronicles.
Tabaqat-i-nasiri (13^th century)
Besides the Muslim accounts of Battles of Tarain (Narain), he has been mentioned in several medieval kavyas (epic poems) by Hindu and Jain
These includePrithviraja Vijaya, Hammira Mahakavya, Prithviraja Prabandha.
These texts too, contain eulogistic descriptions, and are, therefore, not entirely reliable.

Killed in battle
Taken to Ajmer and reinstated as a vassal. Killed after rebelling against the Ghurid rule
Taken to Ghazni, blinded and kept as a prisoner.
Killed by Chand Bardai* in a mutual act after killing Ghori with an arrow.
After Prithviraj’s death, the Ghurids appointed his son Govindaraja on the throne of Ajmer as their vassal.

Over time, Prithviraj Chauhan came to be portrayed as a patriotic Hindu warrior who fought against Muslim enemies.
James Todd (19^th century writer) portrayed Prithviraj as the ‘Last Hindu ruler of India’
He is remembered as a king whose reign separated the two major epochs of Indian history – The Rajput Age and Islamic rule (in North India)
Is it correct stop Films with historical context?
Freedom of speech and expression of filmmakers
Film endeavours to portray the valour of the Kings to a large audience in India and the entire world
Cinematic licence has to be taken as a film is for entertainment
In a civilised society, using muscle power must be
Legal route or public campaigning can be preferred