Padmaavat

Reportedly the most expensive Indian film ever made, Padmaavat lives up to expectations of a visually spectacular mega mythological/historical epic of feudal India. Drawing on its rich history of legendary figures that have invaded and influenced Indian culture over thousands of years, Padmaavat is the Bollywood equivalent of Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and Troy (2004). If you’ve never experienced a Bollywood blockbuster this would be a great place to start.

Padmaavat depicts the staggering opulence of 13^th century medieval India where good versus evil, heroes and villains are shown as larger than life. In typical Bollywood fashion there are grand palaces, vast armies clashing in full armor, over-the-top drama, a massive city siege, dazzling luxuriant costumes, and grandiose musical dance sequences that puts Hollywood’s golden age to shame. 

Loosely based on the Hindustani epic poem by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi, Padmaavat is the story of Padmini (Deepika Padukone), a princess from the Kingdom of Singhal in Sri Lanka whose reputation as the most beautiful woman in the world eventually reached Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor), the ruler of a Rajput warrior clan in Rajastan occupying the largest and strongest fortified city in India called Chittor, built on top of a high cliff hill. 

Ratan Singh, known for his proud ancestry, honour and strong warrior ethic, travels a long way to meet Padmini who he soon learns is not only beautiful but also strong and intelligent. While hunting one day in a dark dense forest filled with wild animals, Padmini accidentally shoots the King Ratan with an arrow while he is admiring her from the bushes wounding him in the shoulder. While recovering from his injury at her father’s palace they fall in love and marry, eventually returning to live together as the new King and Queen of Chittor. 

Purdah, or the seclusion of women to protect them from the eyes and harassment of other men, was a custom of the Rajput nobility, so when a court musician is caught spying on the couple during an intimate moment, Ratan banishes him from his kingdom. The musician travels to Delhi where a ruthless Muslim invader Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh) has just conquered the Delhi Sultanate.

He tells Alauddin of the extraordinary beauty of the new Mewar Queen of Chittor, Padmini, knowing he will do anything to conquer her and thereby gain his revenge on the Rajput King for banishing him. Alauddin who is known for his brutal reign of terror from 1296 – 1316 collecting precious birds and women, now decides he must possess Padmini and immediately gathers his army and lays siege on the impregnable fortress of Chittor.

The movie has become highly controversial in India among Hindu nationalists who have made attempts to sabotage the film because of its depiction of the disturbing Rajput practice of Jauhar; the Hindu custom of mass self-sacrificing of royal women who set themselves on fire to avoid capture and enslavement by foreign invaders.
 

Written, produced and directed by one of the most widely acclaimed directors working in India today, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is no stranger to controversy. His films have won critical praise and garnered many awards both at home and internationally. He is known for his large scale mega musical dramas like Devdas (2002), Black (2005), Ram-leela (2013), and Bajirao Mastani (2015) all of which have achieved mega box-office success despite the controversies surrounding them.

Padmaavat is both historical and entertaining, filmed on real locations with stunning cinematography and strong characters with a heightened flare for the dramatic. Throw in a few wild mind-blowing musical numbers and you will gain a new appreciation for Indian history that’s as epic as any Homeric poem.

JP