Before his latest, Padmavat was in its nascent stage, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had to go through a phase few would have imagined. Yes, Bajirao Mastani, his flawed take on rich maratha history did have its share of controversies. Yet Padmavat, or Padmavati(the film was formerly know as that) came under the scathing eye of the Rajput community.
A year later, when the film opened in cinema halls, the same community would be thrilled to know that the film glorifies their valour. Set in the early 1300’s, Padmavat narrates the story of Rani Padmavati of Singhal, her romance with Raja Rawal Ratan Singh, the king of Chittor, and a lustful Allaudin Khilji, the king of the Delhi sultanate who was keen on conquering the kingdom, just to lay his hands on the dazzling queen.
Just like Bajirao Mastani, Bhansali does not disappoint with visual aesthetics here. The jaw dropping sets, a folk dancing sequence and an outrageous dance number by Khilji, Bhansali lays out all his cards at once and they work. Not to forget, the film has been shot quite magnificently by DOP Sudeep Chatterji and the war sequences are absolutely riveting.
Performance wise, Deepika Padukone is quite competent as Rani Padmavati. Her unibrow, her accent and the way she submits herself to the character of a royal queen is a treat to watch. Aditi Rao Hydari, seems a bit lost, but never-the less her eyes do most of the talking.
But the film belongs to the two men. Shahid Kapoor is terrific as Ratan Singh. He inners the character with depth and vulnerability and its hard to imagine any actor in the part. As for Ranveer Singh, he is the best thing about the film. Right from his introductory scene, you know its going to be his film, and BOY does he deliver.
In the end, Padmavat is a