Swara Bhasker Faces Protest In Agra Over ‘Johar’ Remarks, ₹1.51 Lakh Reward Announced For Cutting Her Tongue

Film actor Swara Bhasker’s remarks questioning the portrayal of johar in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat have triggered protests in Agra, with a right-wing group burning and trampling her posters.

Yogi Youth Brigade state president Kunwar Ajay Tomar led the protest on Tuesday and criticised Bhasker for questioning the courage and sacrifice of Rani Padmavati and other Rajput women who performed johar. He alleged that the actor lacked an understanding of the historical circumstances of the period.

During the protest, Tomar also announced a reward of Rs 1.51 lakh for anyone who cuts Bhasker’s tongue. He additionally used abusive language against the actor.

The controversy began after Bhasker spoke about the johar sequence in Padmaavat during a ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ event at Delhi’s India International Centre on August 31. She argued that depicting johar as an act of honour could send a troubling message to rape survivors, questioning whether women’s “purity” should be considered more valuable than their lives.

Bhasker later posted a video on Instagram clarifying that she had not called Rani Padmavati or the other women cowards. She said her concern was about what modern films choose to glorify and stressed that rape survivors should never feel that surviving makes them less courageous.

The controversy also led to a social media exchange between Bhasker and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi over the issue of choice and the glorification of johar.