After all the hoo-halla and protests and speculations about whether we would get to watch the much talked about Padmaavat at all, we finally did get to watch this much-awaited Film by one of my most favorite directors’ Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

What I loved about Padmaavat was the way each character was introduced in the film. Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati looks surreal. Her introduction shot is a beautiful one set in the forest she’s shown sitting atop a tree with a bow and arrow in hand. In some of the scenes, she doesn’t need any dialogues because she emotes beautifully with her eyes. Gorgeous is an understatement if I had to describe the way she looks as Rani Padmavati, nobody else could have done it better or looked more graceful yet brave than her!

The story as most of us already know (Thanks to the protests by the Karni Sena and the curiosity around the film) Rani Padmavati meets the king of Mewar, Maharawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor) in the forest and it’s love at first sight for her. She gets married to him and moves to Mewar. Things take a turn when a priest from the Mewar kingdom is exiled and he goes and joins hands with the cruel and evil Allauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh). When Alauddin hears about the beautiful Rani Padmaavati from the priest, his only motive in life is to capture her and make her his own.

Like all Sanjay Bhansali films, Padmaavat too is a visual treat and each frame, each scene has been beautifully and painstakingly shot. The detailing of every frame, background, sets, costumes, weapons, makeup, is worth a mention. Deepika and Shahid look great together.

Shahid might not have the built or the physical frame but he has managed to pull off his role as the brave Maharawal Ratan Singh with grandeur! The credit for that goes to his brilliant acting.

Ranveer as Alauddin looks evil and repulsive through and through! While he’s given a brilliant performance, there are certain scenes which made me feel that he’s gone a little overboard with the madness bit. But somehow he manages to bring that under control. I don’t think I’d be able to enjoy chicken tandoori anymore after watching him eat meat disgustingly in the film!

Aditi Rao Hydari as Mehrunissa looks stunning too. Hydari who belongs to not one but two royal lineages in real life, fits into the character of a royal like a glove! She looks every bit the royalty she plays as Alauddin Khilji’s wife.

Jim Sarbh as Alauddin Khilji’s gay sidekick has a lot of screen space in the film and his character has some of the best dialogues in the film. He also brings some comic relief to Padmaavat as an otherwise dramatic film.

While the performances and visuals of the film were praiseworthy, the script could have been better. Some parts of the film feel incomplete in some ways, that could also be because of the numerous cuts that they were asked to make. There are times in the film where I felt it was leading to something but then feels kind of abrupt.

If there is an overdose of anything, it’s the repeated dialogues about Rajput honor! The writing of the film could have been better. Some scenes feel awfully stretched, like the scene where the women are getting ready for ‘sati’ they seem to be walking endlessly to the point where you want to scream “Ok! Jump into the fire and finish it off!” The surprising thing, however, is that everyone was quiet and glued even though we knew what was to happen! Having said that, personally in today’s time and age glorifying ‘sati’ is a big No!

I wouldn’t say Padmaavat is my favorite Sanjay Bhansali movie but the film is watchable. Also, go watch it for the great performances and production value but don’t keep your expectations too high!

Author was invited for a special preview by the producers of Padmaavat

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