نظر جو تیری لاگی میں دیوانی ہو گئی
مشہور میرے عشق کی کہانی ہو گئی
Quite recently I watched the Bollywood film Bajirao Mastani (
باجی راؤ مستانی). It's an excellent film, no doubt. But the message and theme were quite disturbing for me.
Mastani (Mastani Bai), the heroine of the film was Muslim, daughter of a Hindu Raja who had married a Muslim (persian) lady Ruhani Bai.
Mastani fell in love with the Hindu Maratha Peshwa, Bajirao, who according to Bollywood was a symbol of terror for Muslim rule in India.
Mastani moved to Bajirao and presented herself in the name of 'ishq'. Bajirao's family didn't accept her; however Bajirao married her without any marriage rituals (only the Bride and the Groom attended the ceremony in private), none in the Maratha state acknowledged this marriage except Bajirao and Mastani was considered a 'Rakhel' (concubine) of the Peshwa.
Other sources say that Mastani's mother Ruhani Bai was also a Rakhel and not a wife, which may also meant that since Hindus could have only one marriage and later women in their harem were considered Rakhels?
A present day viewer of this film in India is taking the message (which was actually rephrased in the end of film also) that 'Ishq' has no religion. Therefore it implies that Muslim girls can marry Hindu boys, and if not marriage then they may sleep together in the name of 'Ishq' or live together as girlfriends and the vice versa.
Second theme of this film is that Hindus are the actual and lawful rulers of India. Mughals were an occupation force - Mughal's general, Muhammad Khan Bangash who had laid siege to Mastani's city was a crook and a loser as he was easily defeated by Bajirao. Bangash was leading a savage force as (Hindus) women in the besieged city had already set fire to die in it to prevent themselves from being raped or taken as concubines... now the Muslim rulers were shown as villains and Maratha Hindus as saviours.
Another message was that Muslim rulers of India were not only coward but deceitful also. It was presented through Nizam of Deccan whom Bajirao easily fooled with a clever strategy and forced him to sign a deal. Later in the end of film, it said that Nizam's son had broken the agreement which meant that Muslim rulers were deceitful also.
Finally, the actual message was that Hindus are the rulers, and if Muslims live with them, they have to live with them as 'Rakhels'. Bajirao also said that he was not against Islam but against oppression. It implies that India is secular, Muslims are allowed to live there but under the Hindu rule.