A couple of days back, actor Swara Bhasker tweeted her disapproval of a "brain & soul-dead society" that gets enraged over the "heavily embellished, partly fictionalised filmy torture of Hindus from 500 years ago than they are at the horrendous death by stampede & mismanagement, plus, then alleged JCB bulldozer handling of corpses."
She was evidently referring to the Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava with the hashtag 'IYKYK' and the horrifying stampedes at the Mahakumbh and New Delhi Railway station. Naturally, she invoked the wrath of many users offended by her statement, which they interpreted as an insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji.
On Friday, she posted another tweet to clarify the previous one.
She wrote: "My tweet has generated much debate & avoidable misunderstanding. Without any doubt, I respect the brave legacy and contribution of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.. especially his ideas of social justice & respect for women. My limited point is that glorifying our history is great but please don’t misuse the glory of the past to hide the mistakes & failures of present times. Historical understanding should always be used to unite people & not to divide and divert attention from current issues."
She expressed regret at the first tweet having hurt sentiments, adding she is as proud of our history as any other proud Indian and that it should "unite us and give us strength to fight for a better and more inclusive future."
The Mahakumbh stampede that occurred in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on January 29 left at least 30 people dead and around 60 injured.
The New Delhi railway station stampede, on the other hand, caused the deaths of 18 people and injuries to a dozen civilians last Saturday (February 15).
Chhaava, in which Vicky Kaushal plays Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, is directed by Laxmikant Utekar. Rashmika Mandanna plays his wife, Yesubai Bhonsale.
