‘Bhansali’s Padmaavat has Nothing to do With Jayasi’s Padmavat’

In his book, Purushottam Agrawal highlights the aspects of Jayasi’s Padmavat that were left out of Bhansali’s film.

Purushottam Agrawal, author of ‘Padamavat: An Epic Love Story’, speaks to the Quint’s Shadab Moizee

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bharadwaj

The massive controversy over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavat had everyone asking the same question: is Padmavati’s story truth or fiction? Almost 500 years since Malik Muhammed Jayasi’s epic poem, Padmavat, Purushottam Agrawal’s book, Padamavat: An Epic Love Story re-tells the story of Rani Padmavati.

In an exclusive conversation with The Quint, Agrawal said that the lack of knowledge and understanding among people with respect to Padmavat urged him to write his book.

Whenever I used to narrate Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s ‘Padmavat’ to college students, their eyes would turn moist. It is a very poignant love story.

Purushottam Agrawal, Author

In the 193-page book, Purushottam Agrawal has tried to highlight many aspects of Jayasi’s Padmavat, that have been left out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2018 release, starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor.

“He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) claims his film is loosely based on or inspired by Jayasi's Padmavat, but I do not think it's true. For example, in Jayasi's Padmavat, the parrot Hiraman plays a very important role. Hiraman is not just a pet parrot. Hiraman is Padmini's friend, philosopher and guide,” he says.

Jayasi’s Alauddin is certainly a negative character and plays a villain in the story, but he is not a monster. He is a competent king, he is a victor who repents victory instead of celebrating it.

"At the present time, we are full of violence. If you love a girl today and she does not approve of it, then you throw acid on her. But King Ratan Singh is ready to die for his queen’s honour, but Padmavati cannot let that happen. This is the pain of love, the ideal and the depth that is in this book. "

In his book, Agrawal also touches upon the pain and anguish of Ratan Singh’s first wife Nagmati.

This story was first published on Quint Hindi.