Protestors demand removal of the songs Pinga and Malhari.
By Sreekanth A Nair
The song Pinga, from the film Bajirao Mastani has received plenty of criticism, especially from the Maratha community.
Now, Thorale Bajirao Peshwa Pratishthan has decided to stage a protest meet on December 12 at Shaniwarwada, Pune, to get the songs Pinga and Malhari removed from the public domain and the film reviewed by historians and Peshwa descendants, before it is released.
A Mumbai-based professor Prakash Khandge, after watching the song of the film, said that it did not have any resemblance with Pinga form of dance.
“It is more than 1,000 years old and is primarily performed by women in groups for the appeasement of mother goddess in a playful manner. It has a few signature movements; when women do Pinga, they bend down, placing their hands between legs and stomach and roam in circular motion, something like merry-go-round,†he told The Indian Express.
“Not just the choreography but even the costumes worn by the actors in the song are wrong. The pallu is tightly wrapped around the waist and even the upper part of the body is well covered. The choreographer has mixed Lavani with Pinga, but the final result is disappointing,†he added.
The Indian Express quoted Pandurang Balkawade, a Pune-based historian as saying “There’s no proof available which says that Mastani and Kashibai performed Pinga together. According to one unverified theory, during the celebration of Gokulashtami, Mastani had performed Bhondla in front of Kashibai. However, Kashibai didn’t join her.â€
The secretary of Thorale Bajirao Peshwa Pratishthan, Kundan Kumar Sathe, said that the song insulted Bajirao and his wife Kashibai.