A filmy feast for the eyes
become the most powerful ruler in the region. All this — the grand sets, better-thanaverage CGI, well-paced screenplay — manage to hold your attention for the first quarter or so of this nearlythree-hour film. But then things slow to a crawl.
A priest waxes eloquent about the beauty of Rani Padmaavat (Deepika Padukone), comparing it to the moon, the ocean and solace. She is married to Rawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor), who lives by the Rajput code of ethics. How do we know? Because he repeats the line all through the film. The word ‘Rajput’ is, in fact, used more often than virtually any other in the movie. For the next hour or so, you meander through Khilji’s efforts to see this beautiful queen.
Ranveer is mesmerising, even when there is little happening on the screen. His intensity never wavers, his gaze is terrifying and he’s perfected the body language of a mad young king.
The scenes between Khilji and Malik Kafur (Jim Sarbh), his slave companion, are dark, strange and layered. In one, Kafur strokes Khilji’s back with a peacock-feather fan. In another, he watches, riveted, as Khilji forces himself on a woman. The upsidedown power play of their intimacy is intriguing. The characters — especially of the two kings — are well-rounded, even if there is too much of the screenplay dedicated to their monologues. The battle scenes help, somewhat, to break the monotony. Sudeep Chatterjee’s camera work is lovely, both in the long shots and the jagged chases.
But Deepika, sadly, is given little to work with. This could have been the tale of a powerful woman trapped in a world where only men get to choose. It could have explored the mind of this person facing two gruesome fates. Instead, the handling of the story is flat and ineffective. This is a movie about love and war, and how they can mean very different things, but it says nothing new and goes nowhere. It seems content to serve up a feast for the eyes alone.
The result is that the actors shine, and the production feels luxuriant. But as you walk away dazzled, you will be wishing there had been something behind the glitter.