Film actor Swara Bhasker has once again found herself in the middle of a controversy and at the receiving end of severe public backlash over her recent comments. The actress at a recent event questioned the portrayal of the practice of Jauhar in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2018 film Padmaavat. However, her remarks on the matter did not sit well with some sections. Now, her comments have triggered protests in Agra, with protestors burning and trampling her posters. A youth leader has also offered a reward of Rs 1.51 lakh foe cutting Swara’s tongue.
Protests over Swara Bhasker’s Jauhar comment
On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, Yogi Youth Brigade state president Kunwar Ajay Tomar led the protest. In a video now surfacing online, he criticised Bhasker for questioning the courage and sacrifice of Rani Padmavati and other Rajput women who performed johar. Tomar claimed that the actress lacked an understanding of the historical circumstances of the period.
यूपी : आगरा में योगी यूथ ब्रिगेड ने पोस्टर जलाते हुए स्वरा भास्कर की जुबान काटने वाले को 1 लाख रुपए इनाम देने की घोषणा की है। अजय तोमर ने स्वरा भास्कर को वैश्या बताया।@madanmohansoni pic.twitter.com/tNJtZlemEr
— Sachin Gupta (@Sachingupta) September 2, 2026
During the protest, Tomar also announced that he would offer a reward of Rs 1.51 lakh to anyone who cuts Bhasker’s tongue. In the video, he is also seen using abusive and derogatory language against the actor.
About the controversy
The controversy sparked after Bhasker spoke about the Jauhar sequence in Padmaavat at a ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ event at Delhi’s India International Centre on August 31. Videos of her speaking at the event went viral, where she is seen arguing that the depiction of the age-old practice as an act of honour could potentially send a troubling message to rape survivors. She also questioned of women’s “purity” should be considered more valuable than their lives. Her comments led to massive backlash online.
Following the backlash, Bhasker posted a clarification that she did not call Rani Padmavati or the other women cowards, adding that her concern was that rape survivors should never feel that surviving makes them less courageous.
The controversy also resulted in a heated social media exchange between Bhasker and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi over the perception of choice and the glorification of Jauhar. Meanwhile, Swara’s co-star and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut also reacted to her comments.
