Panipat
2019 · Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker
Original language: Hindi
- action
- history
- war
- romance
The story
During 18th century India, the Marathas emerged as the most powerful empire in the nation until the Afghan King Ahmad Shah Abdali plans to take over India. Sadashiv Rao Bhau is brought in to save the empire from the king which then leads to the third battle of Panipat.
What it’s like
Broad, painterly widescreen with earthy ochres, dusty browns and saffron tents, the battlefield rendered in sweeping crane shots of massed horsemen and smoke-hazed plains under a flat, sun-bleached sky. Costume and set design lean on rich brocade, bronze armour and candlelit durbar halls, so interiors glow warm and close while the open country feels vast and exposed. The score is orchestral and drum-driven, swelling with brass and tabla during charges and dropping to quieter strings for private scenes. Pacing is deliberate and expansive, building patiently through council rooms and camp life before the long, muddy set-piece battle. The mood is stately and elegiac, with a sense of duty weighing on its people, especially a leader trying to hold together an uneasy alliance, and a love story woven gently through the political strain. Violence is present and shown in the battle, with sword and cannon combat, arrows and bodies in the mud, but it is staged as spectacle rather than lingered over in gore. Romance and emotional scenes are restrained. It suits a long weekend afternoon for viewers who enjoy grand historical epics and do not mind a three-hour runtime.
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