Bollywood's King of romance Shah Rukh Khan, and leggy actress Deepika Padukone, are embroiled in a major scandal now, following the release of their joint song 'Besharam Rang' ("unashamed color") from the upcoming movie 'Pathan'.
The choice of clothes for the movie has sparked a massive uproar across India. It has reached such a scale that in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, several citizens took to the streets to publicly burn posters and effigies of Shah Rukh Khan and Padukone.
Insult to Hindu Culture, or Unjustified Bullying?
On Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Rajesh Kesarwani from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh took offence to the use of the color saffron in the racy video, as it is usually worn by Hindu holy men as the divine color of Hinduism.
Calling it vulgar and an insult to the Hindu community and culture, Kesarwani urged the Uttar Pradesh state government to place a ban on both the song and the movie effective immediately — and even more than that — initiate stringent action against the filmmakers.
While a section of the internet has liked the sizzling chemistry between the two actors and lauded the choreography by Vaibhavi Merchant, several others took to Twitter to spread the hashtag #BoycottPathaan, opposed to the revealing outfits being displayed in cinemas across the country.
Amid the saffron-bikini row, actor Prakash Raj came out in support of Khan and Padukone, labeling the critics 'bigots' and 'color-blind'. Raj called upon the Twitter audience to reconsider the meaning behind certain colors, wondering if it’s "okay" when saffron-clad men rape minors or give hate speeches.
Bollywood actor Prakash Raj comes out in support of Deepika Padukone over saffron bikini row
© Photo : Twitter/@prakashraaj
Actress Payal Rohatgi also came out in support of Padukone and told the Indian media that all the objections raised are absolutely pointless, as Deepika’s outfit in the song did not adorn any specific God or insult them.
She also questioned how can people target anyone because of a particular color.
On Wednesday, Madhya Pradesh Minister Narottam Mishra termed the costumes and scenes in the film "obscene and condemnable" and threatened that if certain parts featuring Padukone were not removed or edited from the song, they would not allow the release of the movie in January in the state.
Reacting to Mishra's statement, Rohatgi wondered how people could take politicians seriously when they take up such "baseless issues."