It’s not only Padmavati which is a character of fiction, there are several such other characters who are mistaken as part of history because they are paired with historical figures in epicsmade popular by oral tradition of storytelling
HYDERABAD: The gap between history and fiction is often filled with time-lapses or timeline discrepancies which also is an explanation why people mistake allegories or oral stories as history. This is precisely the case with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic movie Padmavati which has sparked controversy and raging protests across the nation with right wing extremists coming forward and even demanding that the leading lady Deepika Padukone’s nose be cut off. This has resulted in the delay of the release of the movie as well as it getting banned in several states. What sparked the row was a rumoured dream sequence in which Queen Padmavati is shown with King Alauddin Khijli, who after the death of Raja Ratan Singh of Mewar, falls in love with the beauteous queen and wants to take her.
What the protesters have refused to acknowledge is that the whole story of Padmavati is a work of fiction by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi of medieval India (b. 1477 AD), whose most significant work is the epic poem ‘Padmavat’ in which he writes about Queen Padmavati describing the siege of Chittor by Khilji in 1303. Interestingly, the masnavi was written in 1550 AD which has Padmavati as a fictitious character. What Jayasi did was he borrowed Khilji from history in his work and created Padmavati to complete his brilliant work which is also considered to be a philosophical allegory in which the characters are symbolic.
To quote noted historian Irfan Habib who said: “Padmavati is a character of fiction and bears no links with history,” it is ascertained that she existed only as a character and not a real person as Jayasi himself writes concluding the poem: ‘I have made up the story and related it’. But is Padmavati alone a fictitious character mistaken as part of history or are there more such misconstrued ones? Well, we have the legend of Anarkali, the elusive courtesan-sweetheart of the fourth Mughal King Jahangir, who doesn’t find any mention in the Indian history books, though British writers have written about her inspired by the popular folklore. And then we have Samyukta the beloved of King Prithviraj Chauhan who exists in Chand Bardai’s epic poem Prithviraj Raso.
Closer home we have the legend of danseuse Bhagmati and Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah of Qutb Shah dynasty. Historians claim that there is no substantial proof that she existed. The story is not to be confused with the upcoming thriller Bhaagamathie releasing next month. Says historian Mohd Safiullah, managing trustee of Deccan Heritage Trust, “There’s only oral evidence of Bhagmati. There’s no historical documentation of her existence. The legend says that Purana Pul was built by a young Qutb Shah to meet his lady when she’d sing and dance, but it’s only in 1576 that the construction of the bridge started during which time, the prince was just nine years old and no child of that age can be romancing an adult woman! There’s not a single coin bearing Bhagmati’s name. We also do not find her cremation site whereas courtesans like Taramati and Premamati existed and are buried in the necropolis of famous Qutb Shahi Tombs complex.” The written records say that Mohammad Qutb Shah was married only once. His wife was Khundmir Bibi, the daughter of a significant noble Mir Shah Mir.
K Asif’s epic 1960 movie Mughal-e-Azam, starring the ethereal beauty Madhubala and the ultimate method actor Dilip Kumar, with its splendid sets and historical storyline is still revered among cinephiles so much so that many confuse the moon-beauty Anarkali as the real one. However, in Lahore where the emperor Jahangir is buried there’s also a locality named Anarkali Mohalla supposed to be the burial site of the courtesan. Adds Safiullah, “It’s disputed if any lady by the name Anarkali existed. This also could be the name given to the Mughal Empress Nur Jehan, who Jahangir fell in love with and later married.”
Several movie goers mistake the fable of Anarkali as a piece of history. The list doesn’t end here when fiction is blended with history and fictitious characters are taken for real.
Take for example the assumed love story of 12th century King Prithviraj Chauhan and Samyukta. The lady in question is actually a character: the king’s beloved in court poet Chand Bardai’s ‘Prithviraj Raso’, which is an epic poem and is considered an unreliable source of historical facts, but at the same time is a beautiful work of poetry.To render the status of history to fiction is an act of injustice to both the genres, and those who protest blindly on distortion of history need to understand that.