Padmaavat- Movie Review by Shoby

Padmaavat - Movie Review by Shahbaz Ali Naqvi (Shoby)

4.5 Hearts out of 5

Some movies are made to elaborate what is written in the history whereas only few of the movies re-write history on celluloid. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat definitely belongs to the second class. The magician is back with his latest period war drama after Bajirao Mastani and lets see what he has to offer to his audience this time.

Padmaavat is the story of the fight between lust filled obsession of a ruler (Ranveer Singh) who posed to be a pseudo-god and the resilience of a royal couple (Shahid Kapoor & Deepika Padukone). Story involves multiple edge of the seat twists & turns and grooms smoothly to implant a solid premises for a heartwarming war drama.I don't want to be a spoiler so won't tell you the whole lot about movie. 

First thing first, unlike what I perceived, I feel Padmaavat was never intended to be a romantic cinema, as this time Bhansali focused more on the fight between good & evil rather than highlighting the lovely warm companionship of protagonists. This is the primary component that makes Padmaavat stand out from the last two outings of Sanjay Leela Bhansali (RaamLeela & Bajiramo Mastani).

Talking about the acting department, Padmaavat is simply a Ranveer Singh's show right from the word go. He gets into the skin of the character of Khiljee so placidly that eventually earns him a well deserving standing ovation. He dominated more than half of the movie courtesy his powerful portray of this ruthless emperor’s character. Deepika Padukone in the role of Rani Padamaavati is a treat to watch. Along with her tranquil innocence & serene on-screen beauty, She has once again proved her mettle in acting department. Shahid Kapoor, to me gets a role of his lifetime. The best thing about the character written for him is, for never a minute second, you think that his role has been under-written than other characters. Aditi Rao is a grooming her acting skills  movie by movie and this time she has played a pitch perfect role. She looks so different in the avatar of a Queen. This time the surprise package was Jim Sarbh who enacted the role of a transgender with utmost authenticity.

The film never loses its grip and remains successful in sticking the audience to the screens till the finale part, courtesy its compelling script & superbly written screenplay. Dialogues are a winner and characters come up with a magnificent punch line right after every few minutes in regular intervals. I would specially like to highlight the dialogues penned for Ranveer's character. Bold, ruthless, savage & humorous embedded in brutality. Jab khaney ko itna kuch hai to hum khouf kiyo khaey. The initial conversation between Padmaavati & Pandit is the heart of the story. 

Set designing has always been a forte of Bhansali's films and Padmaavat is no different. Art direction is at its prime best, blended with immensely beautiful cinematography by Sudeep Chatterjee, Padmaavat is a well-deserved visual treat. For those who always say that why don’t Bhansali moves out of the sets, this time he has a loud answer. Some war sequences and few other outdoor shots are mind boggling. Bhansali has definitely made a strong statement that he can unequivocally project the beauty of the nature at its prime best.

Although unlike Bhansali's earlier projects, Padmaavat has lesser number of songs but all of them are well placed just where they were needed in the script. Ek Dil Ek Jaan is the latest romantic anthem and Binte Dil comes out as a surprise element. A. M. Turaz and Siddharth-Garima have penned relatable suitable lyrics for the movie whereas Bhansali's signature sound track is a winner. Kruti Mahesh Midya has choreographed Ghoomer in an amazing way. War sequences are choreographed in a make-believe manner. The ultimate combat sequence between Khiljee & Rajpoot emerged victorious.

Padmaavati stands tall in displaying the grandeur of royal legacy of Rajpoots and it has the stamp of SLB written all over it. Padmaavati is a dream that you never wants to get finished in just above 2 and a half hours. My verdict, this magnum opus is a must watch for all the fans of larger than life cinema.