Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Fahad Ahmad Defends Swara Bhasker Over Padmaavat Remark
Swara Bhasker spoke about a scene in the film Padmaavat involving Jauhar.
Some people said she called Rani Padmavati and other women cowards.
Swara said this was not what she meant and that her words were translated incorrectly.
She explained that she was talking about rape survivors and their right to keep living.
She questioned messages that make women feel death is better than surviving an attack.
Her husband, Fahad Ahmad, supported her.
He challenged critics to prove their accusation.
He said they would accept any punishment required by Indian law if it were proven.
NCP-SP leader Fahad Ahmad defended his wife, actor Swara Bhasker, amid an online controversy over her comments about Padmaavat’s Jauhar scene.
Ahmad challenged critics to prove that Bhasker called Rani Padmavati and women who performed Jauhar “cowards.”
He said he was ready to face any punishment prescribed by Indian law if the allegation were proven.
Bhasker said her remarks were wrongly translated and that she had not called Padmavati or any woman who performed Jauhar a coward.
She said her comments questioned whether films should suggest that surviving rape is worse than dying, emphasizing women’s right to live.
- Who
- Actor Swara Bhasker and her husband, NCP-SP leader Fahad Ahmad; critics on social media and sections of the media are also involved.
- What
- Ahmad defended Bhasker after controversy over remarks that critics interpreted as calling Rani Padmavati and women who performed Jauhar “cowards.”
- When
- Ahmad posted his defence on Tuesday night; the article does not specify the exact date.
- Where
- The controversy unfolded online, with Ahmad posting on X and Bhasker sharing a clarification video on social media.
- Why
- Bhasker said her comments were about rape culture, survivors’ right to live, and whether films should prioritize physical purity over a woman’s life.
Bhasker and Ahmad’s Position
Critics’ Interpretation
Meaning of the remark
Bhasker and Ahmad’s Position
Bhasker said she did not call Rani Padmavati or women who performed Jauhar cowards, and that her comments were wrongly translated.
Critics’ Interpretation
Critics alleged that Bhasker’s remarks described Rani Padmavati and women who performed Jauhar as cowards.
Message about rape survival
Bhasker and Ahmad’s Position
Bhasker said the remark addressed rape culture and questioned whether women should be taught that death is better than surviving sexual assault.
Critics’ Interpretation
Critics focused on the wording of her comments about the Jauhar scene and treated them as an insult to the women associated with it.
Demand for accountability
Bhasker and Ahmad’s Position
Ahmad challenged critics to prove the allegation and said he was ready to face any punishment prescribed by Indian law if it were established.
Critics’ Interpretation
Critics and sections of the media continued circulating the allegation, which Ahmad characterized as presenting lies as truth.
- Main person defended
- Actor Swara Bhasker
- Defender
- Fahad Ahmad, an NCP-SP leader and Bhasker’s husband
- Film discussed
- Padmaavat, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
- Contested allegation
- Critics alleged that Bhasker called Rani Padmavati and women who performed Jauhar “cowards.”
- Bhasker’s response
- She said her remarks were wrongly and falsely translated and denied making that accusation.
- Central argument
- Bhasker said women should not be made to feel that dying is preferable to surviving rape.