Prithiviraj controversy: Censor asks for disclaimer on the Sati tradition

There seems no end to the controversies surrounding Dr Chadraprakash Dwivedi's Samrat Prithviraj.

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 of the 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.