A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan
Having watched Padmaavat at a
special press screening at Delhi, I can tell with absolute certainty that the
film doesn’t do any disservice to the Rajput community. That the film tries its
best to glorify both Queen Padmini as well as her consort Rawal Ratan Singh. I now
wonder what the protests are all about. For, there never was a more glorious
portrayal of the Rajputi tradition in Indian cinema. In fact, Padmaavat seems
so invested in the idea of glorifying the Rajputs of Mewar that after a point
it appears to lose all objectivity. In the process the film even fails to be
true to Jayasi’s Padmawat. The end result is a film that can best be described
as one-dimensional. While its visual appeal is immense, the storytelling seems
to take a backseat. The characters are plain black-and-white with little scope
for shades of grey. The dialogues are loud but they lack the desired punch. Also,
the songs and music are nowhere near the subliminal brilliance of the aural
orchestration we got to experience in Bajirao Mastani. One area which Bhansali yet again gets right
is acting (despite being a bit predictable with his casting choices). Ranveer
Singh’s portrayal of Alauddin Khilji is a real tour de force. He carries the film
on his shoulders, stealing every scene he is a part of—not that there are many that
don’t feature him. Both Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor are quite solid but
they are simply no match for Ranveer’s ferocious performance. It’s difficult to
think when was the last time that a Bollywood film completely revolved around its
antagonist. Among the supporting acts, Jim Sarbh and Aditi Rao Hydari impress
as Khilji’s slave-general Malik
Kafur and wife Mehrunisa, respectively. Veteran actor Raza Murad makes an
impressive cameo appearance as Jalaluddin Khilji.
My major concern with Padmaavat has to do with its shameful portrayal of the legendary Sufi scholar Amir Khusrow. Instead of celebrating a great poet and musician like Khusrow, Bhansali chooses to mock and ridicule the beloved disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin by portraying him as a sycophant without any agency and working in absence of any creative freedom. Now, Khusrow and his monumental body of work do not represent a religion in particular but actually eulogize an ocean of cultural exchange that defined India in the 13th and 14th centuries AD. Bhansali would have been much better off had he done away with the character of Khusrow instead of portraying it in such a flippant manner. Padmaavat dazzles, taking giant cinematic leaps in the field of visual effects. But it lacks the treatment that a story of this scope deserves. Sadly, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, despite all the ingredients, ends up making a rather feeble film that's all style, little substance, perhaps out of the fear of Karni Sena and the Rajput community. One can only wonder what this movie would have been had Bhansali got the right to fully exercise his creative freedom?
Rating: 6/10
By Murtaza Ali Khan
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
When one talks about the extreme
long shot, one is immediately reminded of the great Japanese filmmaker Akira
Kurosawa. Of course, David Lean takes the idea of an extreme long shot to a
whole new level in Lawrence of Arabia with the famous Sherif Ali introduction
sequence, shot using a specially designed 482mm telephoto lens. When I watched
the rushes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat the first thing that caught my
attention was the use of the extreme long shot. Given Bhansali’s long
association with Vidhu Vinod Chopra at the beginning of his career, it is easy
to imagine how Chopra’s fascination for Kurosawa would have rubbed off on
Bhansali. There is no doubt whatsoever that Bhansali is the undisputed king
when it comes to visual mastery in Hindi cinema. All those who had any doubts
were finally convinced after watching Bajirao Mastani. And, with Padmaavat,
Bhansali has done no damage to his reputation as a showman par excellence. For,
here is a film that’s so rich in terms of grandeur that one can’t help but gasp
at the beauty of the images that Bhansali arranges together as a motion picture
about the glory of the legendary queen of Mewar, Padmini aka Padmavati.
If cinema were all about the beauty
of the image then all gifted painters would have become great filmmakers. Now,
Bhansali too can be described as a painter but one who knows how to tell
stories through the language of cinema. And often he paints his cinematic
canvas endeavoring to celebrate the India culture—an aspect that makes him
different from most other Hindi filmmakers. While Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was an
adaptation of Maitreyi Devi’s Bangla novel, Na Hanyate, his Devdas was based on
Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s popular Bangla novel of the same name. Bhansali’s
previous film, Bajirao Mastani, was based on Nagnath S. Inamdar’s Marathi
novel, Raau. His latest offering, Padmaavat, is based on Malik Muhammad
Jayasi’s epic poem, Padmawat. Bhansali’s ingenious showmanship has helped bring
back these nigh forgotten literary gems to life. His films are without doubt
culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.
 |
| Extreme Long Shots (in clockwise order): Padmaavat #1, Padmaavat #2, Lawrence of Arabia, Ran |
But unfortunately the celebrated
filmmaker has been on the radar of some extreme right-wing groups in the recent
times. While his previous two films, Bajirao Mastani and Ram-Leela, too, drew
the ire of certain outfits over their controversial themes and titles, the
things got worse when he got manhandled by the members of a fringe group called
Rajput Karni Sena on the sets of the Queen Padmini movie in Jaipur. Subsequently,
the Karni Sena grew more belligerent, leading to the postponement of the film’s
release by over a month. Now, the CBFC cleared the movie after the makers
agreed to change its title from Padmavati to Padmaavat in addition to other
prescribed changes. But the Karni Sena has refused to budge thus, continuing to
vehemently oppose the film, resorting to vandalism and violence in different
parts of the country. School buses have been attacked and automobiles have been
torched. Despite a clear verdict from the Supreme Court to release the film all
across India, the state governments have failed to provide the necessary
assurances to the cinema owners. The Multiplex Association of India has already
made it clear that the film
will not be screened in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.
 |
| Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat |
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| Shahid Kapoor as Rawal Ratan Singh in Padmaavat |
My major concern with Padmaavat has to do with its shameful portrayal of the legendary Sufi scholar Amir Khusrow. Instead of celebrating a great poet and musician like Khusrow, Bhansali chooses to mock and ridicule the beloved disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin by portraying him as a sycophant without any agency and working in absence of any creative freedom. Now, Khusrow and his monumental body of work do not represent a religion in particular but actually eulogize an ocean of cultural exchange that defined India in the 13th and 14th centuries AD. Bhansali would have been much better off had he done away with the character of Khusrow instead of portraying it in such a flippant manner. Padmaavat dazzles, taking giant cinematic leaps in the field of visual effects. But it lacks the treatment that a story of this scope deserves. Sadly, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, despite all the ingredients, ends up making a rather feeble film that's all style, little substance, perhaps out of the fear of Karni Sena and the Rajput community. One can only wonder what this movie would have been had Bhansali got the right to fully exercise his creative freedom?
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
Padmaavat Trailer
References:
Padmaavat Trailer
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I have not seen the movie and did not intend to see it. But the reviews have been rather fun to read. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteEpic film. The scenery, costumes and battles were amazing. Sadly, the subtitles here in America were so poor in their contrast that we miss at least half of the story. Sad! A
ReplyDelete