Movie: Padmaavat
Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh
Music: Sanchit Balhara
Cinematographer: Sudeep Chatterjee
Editor: Jayant Jadhar, Akiv Ali
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Rating: ∗∗∗∗
What is it about: This film is a period epic drama which narrates the story of the stupendous Padmavati a Rajput Queen. The film is directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Why it’s disappointing: Let this one be at rest for “Padmaavat“.
What to watch out for: There were a mill of a controversies surrounding the film and when you sat down to watch it, you end up saying what all the fuss was about, it’s rightly said “Empty Vessels makes more noise”. The film most definitely didn’t hurt any sentiments. In fact had a great take on tradition and did a great job in keeping the sanity of it. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his periodic touch and he leaves no room in Padmaavat too. The narration was tight and keeps you hooked. SLB has this technique which only he can execute and succeed. And that uniqueness always reflects in his films. And Prakash Kapadia was icing on the cake with his sharp dialogues which daggers deep in to your soul.
The characters were so well etched that you find the actors under the skin of it.
Deepika Padukone as Padmavati marches though a strong character which truly an example of women empowerment. She carries the character with utmost grace and performs it with élan. Every frame she appears is a beauty which you can’t take your eyes off.
Shahid Kapoor was crisp and performs Ratan Singh with great charm and vigour.
Aditi Rao Hydari as Mehrunisa was a tormented beauty which steals your heart at the brink of her appearance. She has a charisma which carries a great amount of character, which builds a strong aura.
Jim Sarbh as Malik was a silent performer, he did a great job.
Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji stole the show. He was devilishly cunning and eclipses evil. Such a character that you hate it and he makes sure that you do as he gets so deep in to it and performs it with diligence.
The cinematography by Sudeep Chatterjee was splendid every frame exuberated royalty and had an amazing tone to support. The editing by Jayant, SLB and Akiv Ali was seamless. The VFX was neat and the sound was perfectly packed in for right punches.
The music by Sanjay Leela Bhansali was amazing, every track had its moment and perfectly choreographed to the tune. The background score by Sanchit Balhara was soulful.
Verdict: Sanjay Leela Bhansali did it again with a feature which speaks royal without a doubt seamlessly. His treatment was outstanding, which was strongly backed by powerful performances. Definitely worth a watch, catch it on a big screen to feel its opulence.
