Swara Bhasker Criticizes Padmaavat Jauhar Scene, Sparking Debate

Actor Swara Bhasker has reignited a debate over the 2018 film Padmaavat after criticizing its depiction of jauhar, a historical practice of mass self-immolation, during a public event in Delhi on August 31, 2026. Her remarks, which questioned the message the scene sends to survivors of sexual violence, quickly went viral and drew significant backlash on social media. Speaking at an event hosted by the India International Centre, Bhasker revisited her long-standing objection to the film's climactic sequence, where Deepika Padukone's character, Rani Padmavati, leads hundreds of women into flames to avoid capture by invading forces. Bhasker stated that watching the scene made her consider its impact on modern audiences, particularly survivors of assault. "I was watching it, and I thought that if God forbid, I was a assault survivor, what is this film telling me? I would feel like a coward that I didn't commit suicide to save my honour," she said.