Sanjay Leela Bhansali's (SLB) magnum opus finally hits screens after all pre-release protests of demeaning the Rajput's honor, queen dancing etc. but at last what we see is completely the opposite Rajputs are shown in all glory here except for the Brahmin villain, wonder what dirty politics was behind this protests and cult.
The core plot is the fight between the good and evil and Rajput women choosing death over dishonor. (Sati or self-immolation)
As with any SLB movie the magnificence is, lavish everywhere and the canvas painting etches the screen throughout. BGM synchronized perfectly to the tone of the movie. Songs have come out well but couldn't avoid comparing it to SLB's previous movies - like courtyard dance Ghoomar in this movie where are Mohe rang dola or deewani mastani in Bajirao also Ek tu song sounded similar tone to Laal Ishq of ram leela and Aaji ki Badat of Baji rao. SLB's trademark directorial template was exactly maintained but I felt there was some emotional connect missing unlike what Bajirao brought perfectly. The screenplay or the storytelling was not that great here and had some slogs here and there.
Performances: Undoubtedly, its Ranveer singh as Alaudin Khilji steals the show with his venomous looks he brings the character live to the screen. Khilji is demonic, ruthless, notorious, and barbaric with animal instincts and he desires for everything that is considered precious in this world. Deepika fits the role of Rani Padmavat of Mewar delivers another strong performance though she took the front seat in the second half, she captures us with her emotive and glazed eyes with a uni-brow. Shahid as Raja Rantan the Rajput king mostly depends on his posture and delivers a decent performance. Jim Sarbh as the slave of khilji and Aditi as Mehunisa the first wife of Khilji have also equally done justice to their roles with the amount of screen space they had.
The film runs close to 3 hours which feels stretched and sometimes makes us think logics in the decisions made by the characters but also we realize it is what happened in reality so nothing much to think rather dive and sink into the story to enjoy it. VFX in some places were weak, not sure it looked perfect in 3D. Worth watching in big screens for SLB's style of periodic drama rendition.
Review of Padmaavat
