'I Don't Think It's Fair To...': Shriya Pilgaonkar Reacts To Swara Bhasker's Padmaavat Jauhar Remark Controversy- VIDEO

Mirzapur fame Shriya Pilgaonkar has reacted to Swara Bhasker's Padmaavat jauhar remark controversy. During a recent interview, the actress said that people should not judge the context and values of another era through the lens of the present. She further noted that cultures evolve with time and circumstances, adding that it is not "fair" to pass judgement on events that took place hundreds of years ago. Following Shriya's comments, Swara re-shared a story on Instagram, reiterating that she did not call Rani Padmavati a "coward."

In an interview with Filmy Gyan, Shriya was asked about her views on the controversy surrounding Swara's jauhar remark. The actress said, "I feel generally, it's very easy for us to be, in today's context, and judge another context from another time." Shriya added, "2026 mein baith ke hum ek 1000 years old, 500 years old, 200 years old cultural context mein, logon ko kya lag raha tha, unke kya values the, woh kya karna chahte the... unko judge nahi kar sakte."

Shriya further said that every culture evolves with time, circumstances, situations and human traditions. She added, "So, I don't think it's fair to assume a mindset. I don't believe in a generic discussion or a generic judgement about a time that was different."

The controversy erupted after Swara Bhasker revisited the Padmaavat jauhar sequence during a recent event, questioning the message it could send to survivors of sexual violence. Referring to the scene depicting around 800 women performing jauhar, she said, “God forbid, if I was a rape survivor, what was this film telling me? I would feel like a coward that I didn't kill myself to save my honour.” She further questioned, “Is this what we want to tell our survivors, that you didn't deserve to live?” and asked, “Are we saying that rape is the end of a woman's life?”

Swara later clarified that she was not calling Rani Padmavati or the women who performed jauhar “cowards,” saying her comments had been wrongly translated and circulated.