Padmaavat
2018 · Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Original language: Hindi
- drama
- history
- romance
The story
Rajputana, India, 13th century. The tyrannical usurper Alauddin Khilji, sultan of Delhi, becomes obsessed with Queen Padmavati, wife of King Ratan Singh of Mewar, and goes to great lengths to satisfy his greed for her.
What it’s like
Opulent, painterly frames saturated in jewel tones: deep crimson silk, saffron and turquoise palaces, gold-leaf interiors lit by lamps and candlelit ceremony, with sweeping crane shots and slow, circling camera moves that linger on costume and architecture. Its sets feel built for the eye, all arched corridors, carved sandstone and vast courtyard spectacle, while the battle scenes turn sun-bleached dust and smoke into a kind of heightened theatre. The score is lush orchestral sweep threaded with Sufi-inflected vocals and big Bollywood musical numbers, so the rhythm alternates between stately ceremony and swelling set-piece energy. Emotionally it sits in grand romance and honour, with a fevered obsessive streak running through its villain's courtship and a loyal, proud heroine at its centre. Violence is frequent and stylised, with sword duels, a siege and a self-immolation sequence that are brutal in impact, though rendered as operatic spectacle rather than gore. Romantic tension is restrained, mostly longing glances and devotion. Best for viewers who want a sumptuous, long historical epic with music, and who are comfortable with war imagery and intense melodrama.
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