History was made at exactly 1.03 p.m. on Monday when the trailer of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Padmavati” came to us. In one word, the experience is indescribable.
The conflicts of war and ownership, the wages of battle as three warriors ready themselves for a fight to a bloody finish, are positioned in images that defy calibration, they only allow celebration.
“Padmavati” seems to be a glorious celebration of heroism and valour brought to us in the deepest shades of love passion and sacrifice.
Among the many monumental achievements evident in the trailer, there is the persuasive conflict between duty and love, between royal commitments and individual alliances.
Deepika Padukone looks ethereal as the Maharani, while Shahid Kapoor as the king looks poised and prepared to wage any war that destiny or Bhansali may have lined up for him.
Clearly, “Padmavati” will be one more feather in Ranveer Singh‘s cap. To the role of the Islamic invader, he brings all the aggression and madness of a warrior on the edge.
The brief trailer has breathtaking aerial shots of Ranveer’s army marching towards invasion. I saw a shot of Deepika running towards the balcony of her palace for a better view of her invader’s progress. It reminded me of Aishwarya Rai running to the door of her husband’s home for one last glimpse of the dying “Devdas”.
There is an aura of passionate doom and exhilarating reclamation clinging to every shot in “Padmavati”. The supreme technical skills on display in the trailer make the most of the routine outputs from Bollywood look wretchedly banal.
The trailer of “Padmavati” lifts our sagging spirits and gives us hope for Indian cinema.
Who dares to create such panoramic epic images in today’s day and age’ Who but Sanjay Leela Bhansali’
By Subhash K. Jha
