Prithiviraj Controversy: Censor Asks For Disclaimer On The Sati Tradition

There seems no end to the  controversies  surrounding Dr Chadraprakash Dwivedi’s Samrat  Prithiviraj. 

In the midst  of  the controversy regarding the  film’s title  comes   a fresh  controversy regarding scenes showing the ancient , officially banned tradition , of  Sati or Johar whereby a woman immolated herself in her husband’s pyre after his death.

Sati is  a  banned  tradition in India. Therefore its depiction in any form in any work of  fiction or art is  illegal.

Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s  controversy-ridden  historical Prithviraj  has visuals of Sati which,when objected  to  by the Central Board  Of Film Certification, the director argued  were  part of the historical process mthe period that the  film  describes.

However the  censor board did  not entirely buy the  director’s argument and asked for  a prominent  disclaimer stating that Sati is a defunct obsolete and  banned  tradition. Also, the CBFC has asked for the scenes of Sati to be  shortened.

It may be recalled  that  Sanjay Leela Bhansali  faced similar opposition  from the censor board  for his scenes  of Sati in Padmaavat.