Sir — This refers to the editorial, “Padmaavat returns” (January 20). The Supreme Court has rightly stayed the ill-conceived ban by a handful of States on the release of the film Padmaavat and also restrained other States from entertaining similar thoughts.
The judgement has once again reinforced the faith of every citizen of India who wishes to express his/her ideas and emotions through written (poetry, essay, story) or visual medium (painting, documentary and cinema).
But it is unfortunate that the Karni Sena has threatened that women will commit ‘jauhar’ or self-immolation if Padmaavat is released. The protest, it looks, is not against the death of Padmavati herself in the story, but against a creative interpretation of her exposure to the public gaze.