Moral Policing Or Criticism Of Hypersexualisation? MP Minister Objects Song Besharam Rang

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's Pathaan is scheduled to open in theatres on January 25, 2023. Prior to that, the makers released the first song of the film, Besharam Rang, which got people talking and now also attracted a few controversies. From song's music being plagiarised to Madhya Pradesh minister Narottam Mishra's objection to the portrayal of Besharam Rang.

A few praised the chemistry between Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, but many critiqued the over-sexualisation of women for the sake of the male gaze. The song has now gotten the movie into trouble with Dr Narottam Mishra, a Madhya Pradesh minister. The use of saffron-coloured costumes in the movie incensed the minister. Additionally, he claimed that the movie has some objectionable scenes and threatened to have Pathaan banned from Madhya Pradesh if those scenes weren't changed.

On December 14, Wednesday, the activists of a Hindu outfit group in Indore gathered at a road intersection and set effigies of actors Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan on fire. They demanded to ban the film, which is set to hit the screens in January next year, alleging the Hindu community is feeling offended by the content of the Besharam Rang song.

Pathaan's Besharam Rang Controversy

Mishra threatened to halt the release of Pathaan in the state unless the costumes and scenes in the movie were altered. He claimed that the costumes and scenes needed to be changed or eliminated before Pathaan's release in MP would be justified. Deepika Padukone was referred to in a tweet by the Minister  as a "tukde-tukde gang supporter." His tweet added, " The song has been shot with a dirty mindset, and the costumes are highly objectionable."

Suggested Reading: Can We Stop With These Overly Sexualised Songs To Gain Momentum?

While this was going on, Swami Chakrapani Maharaj tweeted in Hindi, "There has been an insult of saffron and Hindu Sanskrit in Shah Rukh Khan's film Pathaan. Why is the movie censor board asleep? We will impose a ban! It will face opposition from the Hindu Mahasabha. Swami Chakrapani Maharaj, the All India Hindu Mahasabha's national president."

Bollywood fans have been anticipating Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's Pathaan for a while, but the Besharam Rang song is not a brand-new example of a song where women actors are overly sexualized. The songs merely assert that it is almost 2023 and we are still deeply ingrained in objectifying women actors in order to gain popularity. However, the MP's comments about the actor's outfit and threat to have the movie banned are another example of the moral policing that women endure on a daily basis.