Review of Padmaavat (2018) by Rohitash C — 04 Feb 2018

My take on Padmavaat movie.

Acting performance was great.

Direction by Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) was weak. He could not match his own standards when compared to Hum Dil De Cheke Sanam. The major flow was in keeping the songs in the movie - that was just out of place. The music was weak when compared to his earlier movies. Jodha Akbar which was a similar theme was a much better film.

As for the storyline - I thought it was a bit weak as the escape was an easy one. Other flaws there - such as kidnapping the king - why were they so naive in their defense and preparation acknowledging that Khilliji was untrustworthy?

Movie should have been about Padmavati - but she was given little attention. Khillji was given more attention. There was little about life, the personality of Padmavati - the songs and dances could have been eliminated and time could have been allocated to her. Jodha - Akbar, Jodha was given more priority.

Action scenes were good. The sword fight scene was good. Art direction, costumes, the cinematography was marvelous. It was a good way to show Indian culture and tradition.

Historic validity: Although there are claims that the movie was based on a poem which lacks historical validity - many so-called Holy texts are also written in a similar way - If you can question Padmavati - then you can question the existence of Jesus and Krishna as well.

Moving on, as for Jauhar (self-immolation) - historically there are dozens of cases where hundreds or thousands of Hindu women gave up their lives when Indian kingdoms were invaded by Mughal, Turkish, Arabs and other forces from 11- 17th Century.

A well-documented example was when Akbar (portrayed in Jodha Akbar) invaded Rajistan, 30 k Hindu soldiers were killed - head showcased in city and thousands of women committed suicide. There are many other cases.

A major theme was about ethics in war - about the Dharma of Hindus. About Hindu culture and resilience of Hindu women. My sincere respect to all those women who sacrificed their lives rather than being treated like slaves.

I think the movie will shed light on the history of India and help Indians be more vigilant in their defense in decades to come. I felt it was better than Bahubali 2 (poor action scenes), Ramleela, Bajirao, but weak when compared to others from SLB. Nevertheless, I let you decide.