Padmaavat Review - A Lot More Than An 'I' Missing From This One

Somewhere in the middle of Padmaavat’s bloated first half, I realized that the only emotion director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was trying to emote was awe. Awe of the films that he can make, has made and the scale at which they are touted to the Indian audience. Above all, Padmaavat is a celebration of art. Art because of the sheer gorgeousness of its sets, its costumes, its dialogues, its music and its three leads. We’ve waited for this one, far too long. First the release date was November 17th, then December 1st, and finally it’s January 25th.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus is breathtaking cinema and an oddly annoying, tenacious ode to Rajput valor. In this 2 hour and 43 minute celebration of scale, Bhansali’s dialogues re-iterate which side of the tale he’s on. Shahid Kapoor, one of the three eponymous leads, doesn’t emote his dialogues. Because, unfortunately, the majority of Kapoor’s dialogues are vague answers to questions. If one of his commanders asks him what they’re going to stop the invaders in his kingdom, he responds with the seriousness of steel, “Jiska sar kate phir bhi har dushman se ladta rahe, voh Rajput.”

In Bhansali’s previous, Bajirao Mastani, there were things to take away from its flaws, including its overstretched runtime. Here, there’s no Priyanka Chopra to pretty up things and bumps in what seems like a never-ending road. Instead, we get Deepika Padukone as the titular (ex-titular) Rani Padmavati. Deepika’s eyes speak volume of what she is and what she can do, but in terms of acting strength, the director and his writers don’t give her much to work with. The only instructions in the clunky script seem to be, introvert in the first half, rebellious extrovert in the second.

That’s the problem with Padmaavat. I can’t review a film based on its intentions. I bet that Sanjay went into Padmaavat, then titled Padmavati, with the love and honour of a grand film. However, shackled to the protests surrounding the film, he succumbed. What we get on the screen is a vanilla flavored lackluster drama that only picks up in the second half. Shahid and Deepika, both are given loose dialogues, not representative of the situations they’re in. However, Padmaavat rests on the shoulders of the manic Ranveer Singh.

I can promise you, Padmaavat is not a grand retelling of history. Unfortunately, while there are disclaimers stating that this is not a historically accurate film, Bhansali’s bigger faults lie not with the Rajput side, but with the Khilji side. All Muslims in the film are shown as barbaric, disgusting, misogynistic oafs who devour women and meat every night, in that order. Except for the radiant Aditi Rao Hydari and a short-lived but grand Raza Murad, everyone is a leech looking for their piece of the pie. Even a grandly delivered, but frankly offensive track of Malik Kafur, by Jim Sarbh, is considered wrong. I’m proud that Bhansali showed the homosexual side of Khilji and Kafur’s relationship. Still, it’s shown as one-sided.

Historically speaking, Khilji’s portrayal as this barbaric sexist 13th century Donald Trump has no historical basis. Still, Khilji and Malik Kafur’s sexual relationship has much more historical facts on its side. But its not a history lesson, nor is it an accurate show. What it is is Ranveer Singh’s film. He owns it as the barbaric Khilji. His dialogues, clunky again, are delivered with utmost passion. Ranveer inserts his own calm into Khilji’s chaos. He makes the character relatable in an otherwise ornate film. You and I could know Alauddin Khilji, says Ranveer, delivering his career’s best performance.

Still, criticisms throughout, Padmavati (yes I called it that) is cinematic gold. Its clunky dialogues by Prakash Kapadia, are overlooked by its grand scale, beautiful cinematography by Sudheep Chatterjee and direction by Bhansali. This is Indian cinema’s most ambitious and controversial film. Go and watch Padmaavat, but at your own risk. It’s beauty all around. I’m going with 2 stars for the film in general and another half star for Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor. I’m going with 2.5 stars out of 5. It’s a good film, I just expected more.