Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Padmaavat continues to be a controversy magnet in India, but the film seems to have piqued the interest of Americans, especially after a bunch of cheerleaders shook a leg to the song Ghoomar.
On January 28, cheerleaders dressed in lilac ghagras danced to Ghoomar during an NBA basketball match between Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat. The official Twitter handle of NBA India tweeted the twirling and swaying to the beats of Ghoomar.
“Revisit the mesmerising moment when the sights and sounds of Ghoomar from @filmpadmaavat took over Charlotte! (sic),” the caption read.
Ironically, a video of Aparna Yadav, daughter-in-law of Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, dancing to Ghoomar during her younger brother's engagement ceremony had created quite a stir last year.
Expressing their disappointment, the Karni Sena, an organisation that has been against the movie, said the video was like rubbing "salt in our wounds."
"It is sad that a prominent political family's member has chosen to behave in such a fashion. It is as if she is trying to tease us and rub salt in our wounds," a leader of Karni Sena said.
The song is pictured on Deepika Padukone and it shows Rajput women dancing in public. The Karni Sena says it was not a depiction of the reality of the past.
Padmaavat has been receiving rave reviews since its release last week, and the movie has been doing well at the box office too. The Karni Sena is not surprised. "This is India, where even (former adult movie star) Sunny Leone has a strong fan following," Karni Sena spokesperson Vijendra Singh told IANS.
Accusing Bhansali for distorting history, Singh said pregnant women never perform self-immolation as shown in the movie. He also noted that Chittorgarh was attacked by Allaudin Khilji when he was 55, not 25 as shown by Bhansali.
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