Thu 12 December 2019:
Bollywood Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker enters the ground with another epic movie, of which the teaser was just released a couple of days ago which takes the audience back to the 1700s.
But Afghans are concerned over ‘misrepresentation’ of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the founder of modern Afghanistan, in the new film.
Afghans have expressed disappointment over the portrayal of the country’s founding father in the latest Bollywood period drama, Panipat, set in the 18th century.
The film depicts the 1761 Battle of Panipat fought between the forces of Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Abdali and the army of Marathas, a Hindu community mainly based in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
Modern Panipat is a district in the northern state of Haryana, about 85km (53 miles) from capital New Delhi.
Abdali, a hero to many Afghans, was the founder of the Durrani Empire and leader of the Pashtun tribe who defeated the Maratha army. To most Indians, he is a fierce invader who killed thousands of Maratha soldiers.
Panipat is the latest Bollywood film to attract criticism for its misrepresentation of historical characters, especially Muslim rulers from the medieval period.
Another Bollywood film Padmaavat (2018) portrayed Alauddin Khilji, a Muslim king of Afghan origin who ruled Delhi in the 12th century, as a “savage” who “gnaws meat off the bone” – following the most prevalent stereotypes about Muslims, according to critics.
“Abdali fits the Alauddin Khilji mould of ‘otherness’ – tall, imposing, and dismissive of Hindu martial prowess. The two manifest the stock Muslim ‘invader’ tropes that dominate the 21st-century Hindu psyche,” wrote film critic and columnist Kaveree Bamzai on The Print website.
“As one of the Panipat posters on Abdali says: ‘Death strikes where his shadow falls’.”
Similarly, Kesari – released earlier this year and based on the Battle of Saragarhi in 1897 between Sikh soldiers and Afghans – was also criticised for portraying the Afghans as violent invaders.
The Afghan foreign ministry
On Sunday, a statement released by the Afghan foreign ministry said Idrees Zaman, the acting foreign minister, met with Indian envoy to Kabul Vinay Kumar to discuss the “issue of Afghan sensitivities” surrounding the film.
Even before the film’s release, the Afghan embassy in New Delhi had written a letter to the Indian government to raise its concerns over misrepresentation of the Afghan ruler.
“Since the film is related to former Afghan emperor Ahmad Shah Abdali, any insensitive/distorted depiction of his character might provoke emotions of Afghans which could be unfairly exploited by others to adversely affect the trust and harmony that exists so well among the people of two countries,” the letter stated.
India has had friendly ties with Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, with New Delhi being a major financial backer of the Western-backed government in Kabul.
India has also earned the goodwill of the Afghans by carrying out major infrastructure projects in the war-torn country, including building the new parliament in Kabul.
Bollywood films and Hindi-language soap operas are very popular in Afghanistan, which is among the biggest markets for the Hindi film industry.
Stereotype Muslims
In 2007, Afghanistan banned the Bollywood film, Kabul Express – a story about three journalists in post-Taliban Afghanistan – because parts of it were deemed offensive to the Shia Muslim Hazara ethnic minority.
“Bollywood films most of the time vilify and stereotype Muslims. It was easier for them to find proxy in Pakistanis to portray Muslims that suited their agenda; but with the Afghans, they have found a new villain,” said Rehman.
“I think this is a result of widespread religious nationalism. And as of now, such kind of nationalism demands to find ‘heroes’ among ‘yourselves’ and ‘villains’ in ‘others’. The recent trend shows Bollywood is playing to such an audience,” he said.
Afghans also took to Twitter to express their disappointment in the film, including Naseem Sharifi, Consul General of Afghanistan in Mumbai.
Jawad, a photojournalist based in Kabul, echoed the concerns raised by Rehman, saying he was disturbed by how “Islam was portrayed the religion of violence and fear” in the film.
“In one scene of the movie, it shows Abdali praying and immediately after he finishes the prayer, he is shown killing people,” he said.
“Nowadays, people do not have time to read history, they believe what they see. I wish the Indian filmmaker focused on real history, instead of being biased towards Afghans and Muslims.
“Abdali is described as a thief and a looter, which is not true. I can understand, for Indians Abdali is an invader but the incidents need to be shown according to the facts, not less not more.”
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