I loved this Movie.

I am not going to qualify it by saying: I love this Blockbuster Bollywood genre movie; I think Padmavati is a first class movie by any measure and expresses what good filmmaking and good storytelling is all about.

The story is based on an epic poem written in 1540 by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi. The ancient poem is an allegorical fictional story about the Delhi Sultan’s desire for Padmavati, the Queen of Chittor.

 

Set in 13th century India, Rani Padmavati (Deepika Padukone) – the wife of the King of Chittor Maharawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor), is well known for her beauty.The foreign usurper Sultan of Delhi, the tyrant Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh), becomes obsessed with her and will do anything, including invading her kingdom, to have her as his wife.

I watched this movie at Imax in 3D at the largest Imax screen in the world in Melbourne (Imax cities are always trying to outdo each other and it won’t be long before some other city usurps the title).

The movie was an experience to watch and the bad guy, Khiliji, seemed to be a blend of Alexander the Great (He is proclaimed the 2nd Alexander in the film) and Timurlame who, in the ancient past, tried or succeeded in invading India.

My only issue is the under-the-chin lighting of Khiliji, that was often well done but gets tiring after a while in its attempt to denote the bad guy as nefarious and malevolent. The score of the movie certainly added to the ascending climactic scenes. The direction by Sanjay Leela Bhansali was as impressive overall as this poetic fairy-tale inspired movie.

In many ways, this movie could be construed as having an Indian feminist theme; with a powerful Masada-like statement from the women of the kingdom in defiance of the besieging invaders.

Worth Seeing 4.5 Stars.

Take Care & Cheers

Jason