PADMAAVAT
Set in medieval Rajasthan, Queen Padmavati is married to a noble king and they live in a prosperous fortress with their subjects until an ambitious Sultan hears of Padmavati's beauty and forms an obsessive love for the Queen of Mewar.
This is a must watch, especially for you people who enjoy traditional period movies.
I think the best place to start is the casting and the acting. I still cannot get over how well this was casted and how well Shahid Kapoor (Raja Chetan), Deepika Padukone (Padmavati) and Ranveer Singh (Alauddin Khilji) acted. To be able to portray the story told in a poetic way with a biographic twist is no easy feat. It felt surreal. It looked surreal. Probably because of the fact that it was. This movie is based off a poem, no actual proof that it actually happened like this. But the fantasy element was executed perfectly by the actors, the detail to every eyebrow twitch, every still yet deep expression, every blink fit the premise of this fictional yet realistic masterpiece. Yet another Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie and I am not disappointed at all. The colors during the musical numbers, the CGI even looked realistic to me (maybe excluding the opening ostrich), the utmost extravagance of the outfits and the angles every scene was shot, showing so much with so little. Perfection.
Next, the plotline that was based off the poem. I am going to dismiss the fact that this was made based off an element in history as I am not very well verse with it and do not want to mess it up. But the poem basically states that Padmavati was a queen who's beauty was known in every land far and wide and it caught the attention of a Sultan. Pretty much the movie itself, but the way it built up, from her marriage to Raja Chetan to the Pandit (priest) that sparked the jealousy. I do not know how much of it was made up for dramatic effect, but I thought it was smart. The whole film was very captivating with all the suspense created by the writers. I watched this for 2 hours plus straight with my family, and we did not move an inch the entire time. History movies can fall flat, and that happens most times, but interesting stories never fail to keep people ready for more. Ever since this movie was released, many have been talking about the final scene. Here for your critiques:
Despite how much many people love this movie, there was a lot of backlash toward it too. There are two parts to the controversies of this movie. Both a religious approach, seeing as to how Padmavati is a Hindu, Rajput woman and Alauddin Khilji was a Muslim Sultan. In my opinion, the controversies of the film made no sense to me. Firstly, there was a rise of hate from the Rajputs, which according to the movie are the both Padmavati and the King. They were enraged at the thought of a scene that would involve both the Hindu Princess and the Muslim Sultan, tarnishing the purity of the princess and stating that this would portray her in a bad sense, which firstly, never happened. Then there was a rise from Muslims saying how badly Alauddin Khilji was portrayed, and not all Muslims confide to that norm that he was, an untrustworthy man because he is a Muslim. Even for these reasons, this film was banned in Muslim countries like Malaysia.
However there are two types of audiences. One, the kind that watch movies, enjoying them as movies. Second, the ones that do not really understand that not all controversial movies are trying to brainwash people into thinking a certain way. Yes, some movies depict sensitive issues like religion and politics and get banned. However, we as viewers need to start watching movies to enjoy the art of it. Just like how at a restaurant a good dish is enjoyed thoroughly with its presentation and divine flavors, the same way good movies need to be enjoyed for the cinematography, acting, dialogues and story. Sensitivity cannot be curbed, I understand. But films like this are rare, thus the appreciation toward them should be doubled.
That it all for this masterpiece. I think anyone could enjoy this movie for what it is. A work of art.
Cast: Deepika padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Jim Sarbh, Raza Murad, Anupriya, Goenka, Ujjwal, Chopra
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Year released: 2018
Link to watch full movie with english subtitles:
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