Dinesh Kamath's Movie Column 'Best Bollywood Films of recent times – Part 2' that was published in Newsband

Movie Column

Best Bollywood Films of recent times – Part 2

By Dinesh Kamath

Padmavaat (2018) directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali was another one of the best films of recent times.

Padmaavat is a 2018 Indian epic period drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Loosely based on the epic poem Padmavat by Malik Muhammad Jayasi, it stars Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati, a Rajput queen known for her beauty, wife of Maharawal Ratan Singh, played by Shahid Kapoor. Sultan Alauddin Khilji, played by Ranveer Singh, hears of her beauty and attacks her kingdom to claim her. Aditi Rao Hydari, Jim Sarbh, Raza Murad, and Anupriya Goenka featured in supporting roles.

With a production budget of ₹2.15 billion (US$30 million), Padmaavat is one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.

Padmaavat received mixed reviews. Critics praised the visuals, the cinematography and Singh's portrayal of Khilji, but criticised its storyline, execution, length and adherence to regressive patriarchal mores. Critics also disliked the portrayal of Khilji as a stereotypical evil Muslim king and Ratan Singh as the righteous Hindu king. Despite not being released in some states of India, it grossed over ₹5.85 billion (US$81 million) at the box office, becoming a commercial success and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. At 64th Filmfare Awards, Padmaavat received a leading 18 nominations, and won two awards, including Best Actor (Critics) for Singh.

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.

"Padmaavat," a controversial adaptation of Malik Muhammad Jayasi's 16th century epic poem, is a different kind of film. "Padmaavat" is, after a certain point, propaganda for a pseudo-traditional and highly romanticized fundamentalist attitude. It is possible to enjoy most of the film without asking yourself why this 11th-century-set drama was made, particularly during scenes where the mild-mannered King Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor) and his head-strong queen Padmavati (Deepika Padukone), the rulers of the small kingdom Chittor, try to stop greedy Sultan Alauddin (Ranveer Singh) from abducting Padmavati. But the real trouble starts in the film's final stretch: "Padmaavat" hinges on a dramatic act of of "jauhar," the Hindu ritual where women threatened by rape and/or enslavement set themselves on fire.

The movie is a powerful explosive with a very long fuse. "Padmaavat" is, in that sense, exactly the kind of movie that writer/producer/director Sanjay Leela Bhansali ("Black," "Saawariya") set out to make.

Bhansali implicitly extols questionable concepts of femininity, loyalty, and spirituality, even if "Padmaavat" is more concerned with secular traditions than religious beliefs.

"Padmaavat" seems to exist to show the beauty of Jayasi's archetypal love story. Through several key scenes, we watch as Bhansali emphasizes Alauddin's secular greed and obsessive character. Singh's intensely committed performance makes you believe in his character's Iago-like malevolence, even when Singh himself goes so far over the proverbial top that he flies into the stratosphere. Singh's charisma makes you believe him when he snarls, grimaces, and even dances out Alauddin's character-defining aggression. Singh's dancing is especially impressive.

Bhansali also makes Padamavati and Rhatan Singh's relationship look strong enough to be attractive. She does inevitably ask him for permission to kill herself. But that choice feels like a decision that her character would make based on her previous actions. Bhansali convincingly sells Padamavati's perspective in scenes like the one where she defiantly tells Rhatan Singh's treacherous Brahmin adviser what she believes: that "happiness" in a relationship depends on mutual trust, and personal "sacrifice" is only possible when you believe that your physical body is a fleeting expression of yourself. B

The film has Deepika Padukone as Padmavati – a 13th-14th century legendary Rajput queen, who was, according to Padmavat, the wife of Rajput king Ratan Singh (also known as Ratan Sen), the ruler of Mewar. The news of Padmavati's beauty reached Sultan Alauddin Khilji, who besieged Singh's capital, Chittor, motivated by his desire to capture the queen. Shahid Kapoor as Ratan Singh – the last Rajput ruler of the Guhila dynasty that ruled the kingdom of Mewar. He was defeated by Alauddin Khilji's forces during the siege of Chittor. Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khalji – the second and most powerful ruler of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate. He ascended the throne by murdering his paternal uncle and father-in-law, Sultan Jalal-ud-din Khalji. According to Padmavat, Khilji laid siege to Chittor motivated by his desire to capture Ratan Singh's beautiful wife, Padmavati. Aditi Rao Hydari as Mehrunisa– first wife of Alauddin Khilji and Queen of the Delhi Sultanate. Jim Sarbh as Malik Kafur– a prominent eunuch slave-general of Alauddin Khilji. Raza Murad as Jalal-ud-din Khalji – the founder and first Sultan of the Khilji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate. He was deposed by his nephew and son-in-law Alauddin, who murdered his uncle to usurp the throne. Anupriya Goenka as Nagmati – first wife and chief queen of Ratan Singh according to Padmavat. Nagmati and her husband's second wife, Padmavati, performed jauhar together after Alauddin Khilji attacked Chittor. Ujjwal Chopra as Gora Singh

Reception

Padmaavat opened to mixed critical reviews upon release. Critics praised the visuals, and the performance of Singh, but criticised its storyline, execution, running time and the "unwanted" 3D conversion.

Following its controversies, the makers held a pre-screening of Padmaavat in November 2017 for some journalists, including Arnab Goswami and Rajat Sharma, who praised the film and described it as "the greatest tribute to Rajput pride." Rajat Sharma particularly praised Singh's performance as Khilji.

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave 4.5 stars and said, "On the whole, Padmaavat is a remarkable motion picture experience that's backed by proficient direction, spellbinding screenwriting and superlative acting. For Bhansali, it's the best title on an impressive filmography." Neil Soans of The Times of India gave 4 stars and said, "The director's expertise in heightening opulence and grandeur is well-known, further distinguishable in 3D. Cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee compliments him by beautifully capturing some jaw-dropping scenery." Rachit Gupta of Filmfare gave 3.5 stars and said, "the real wonder of Padmaavat comes from its production and presentation. This film has phenomenal production design, costumes and camera work. The technical finesse on display is just mind boggling." Rajeev Masand of CNN-News18 gave 3.5 stars, praising Singh's performance.

Kunal Guha of Mumbai Mirror gave 3.5 stars but criticised Padukone's and Kapoor's performances. Giving 3.5 stars, Sushant Mehta of India Today panned Padukone's and Kapoor's performances calling them "mediocre" while terming Singh's "unconvincing".

Overseas

Mike McCahill of The Guardian gave 4 stars and said, "It's not just the extravagance that catches the eye, but the precision with which it's applied. Every twirl of every sari and every arrow in every battle appears to have been guided by the hands of angels. Such excess could have proved deadening, but dynamic deployment of old-school star power keeps almost all its scenes alive with internal tensions." Shilpa Jamkhandikar published a mixed review in Reuters, who noted, "But unlike Bhansali's earlier films, where he was able to find emotional depth even in opulent historical romances, this one falls short". But she praised Ranveer Singh's performance as Khilji. Manjusha Radhakrishnan of Gulf News opined that the quality of the work was lower than that in other Bhansali films. Sadaf Haider of DAWN Images said that the film is "a flawed history lesson", however, she praised the film visual, music and most of the act. Rahul Aijaz of The Express Tribune rated 4.5 out of 5 stars; he too praised the film and said that it "doesn't set up false expectations and then disappoint" due to "perfect storytelling", and "memorable performances". A Pakistani critic, Haroon Khalid, had disliked the portrayal of Khilji as a stereotypical evil Muslim king and Ratan Singh as the righteous Hindu king.