I have no clue how do I start writing this. So, I'll start with the basics. Disclaimer: I had no intention of writing this but I HAD to. First day first show. It had to be so. Padmavat! The first glimpse of Alauddin Khilji (his intense eyes) and I had goosebumps. As I write this, I still do. "Har nayaab cheez pe sirf Alauddin ka haq Hai" and I couldn't agree more. I guess I won't be the only person who would easily compare the movie to Bajirao Mastani because of its premise, SLB, cast, but I also guess I won't be the only person who would say that this movie is way different than that. As the movie went on, I thought I'll write a review for it but then my mind shifted- this is me writing on the one and only Ranveer Singh.
Wallah Habibi! God! I couldn't take my eyes off the S&S (Savage and Seductive: Thank you my dear friend Prarthana for the abbreviation) Khilji. As a child I have grown up learning more about Khilji and his dynasty than any other 'villian' and as a dialogue and a scene in the movie goes something like, "Jis itihaas ke panno mein Alauddin Khilji ka naam na ho, wo itihaas hi nahi padha jaayga" , with Khilji burning the pages of such a history, he succeeded and how!
As I close my eyes right now (almost 7 hours after coming back from the hall and going through a busy day post movie), all I can see is Khilji's madness, his passion, his dance, his restlessness from the songs Khalibali and Binte Dil. His role of being bi-sexual and portraying it with such elegance. Kudos to Bhansali for the execution. Here, let me take a moment to clap for the one and only person without whom the portrayal wouldn't have been possible: Jim Saarbh. Man, you have a fan in me for the second time now. From accent to body language. From talking with the eyes to the acting. I can actually watch Jim and Singh together for a whole film and still not have enough of their chemistry.
Coming back. This movie is Khilji's. It is Ranveer Singh's. I wonder why the movie wasn't named Khilji. It would've spared the film all the cuts, controversies, VFX's and re-shoots. A tad too long on the viewing side because the film didn't have much material to show barring the main story, Khilji had a much more screen time than Padmavati herself. Shahid, I am a bit disappointed with. So I am with Deepika. Aditi Rao Hydari, not surprisingly, did extremely well in the time she had.
I can name scenes after scenes where Khilji owned. But that would give in a lot about the movie. There were rumours (or was it true?) about Singh having to visit a psychiatrist to make him come out of character. After watching the film, I would love to believe it was the truth. No one, in their sane self, can act so brutally realistic as this man. There were rumours that Singh saw Khilji's ghost on set. I would love to believe, Khilji's ghost possessed Singh. Or else, it wouldn't have been possible. Khilji's eyes would haunt me. Or, being the sadist I am, comfort me.
The scars, the hair flip, the beard, the hunger, the rawness, the meatiness (you would know what I mean once you watch the movie) are oh so seductive. Yes, I'm crushing on a villian. No, he wasn't a villian. Yes, he would always remain Sultan-e-Hind. No, he isn't a hero. He is so much. He is so much more. Singh brings the character so much life.
"Ek Jung Husn Ke Naam..."
So be it. At the end of the movie if you see his eyes, reflecting on which is the fire of the Jauhar committed by Padmavati, you would easily feel his reaction... All this, for nothing? But then life goes on. According to historical facts, Khilji wasn't so barbarian as portrayed. According to historical facts, Khilji went to depression while the cries of the women commiting Jauhar in front of his eyes haunted him. But he lived. And that's all that matters.
Khilji would be one of those characters portrayed by Ranveer that would remain with me (along with Malik Kafur by Jim Saarbh) while I might just forget the movie completely.
Ranveer baba, I can write so much about you in this but I would end... End with the lines...
"Aatish kada adaaon se, Jal uthega aap ke, Deeda ae tarr ka hijaab..."
Wallah Habibi! God! I couldn't take my eyes off the S&S (Savage and Seductive: Thank you my dear friend Prarthana for the abbreviation) Khilji. As a child I have grown up learning more about Khilji and his dynasty than any other 'villian' and as a dialogue and a scene in the movie goes something like, "Jis itihaas ke panno mein Alauddin Khilji ka naam na ho, wo itihaas hi nahi padha jaayga" , with Khilji burning the pages of such a history, he succeeded and how!
As I close my eyes right now (almost 7 hours after coming back from the hall and going through a busy day post movie), all I can see is Khilji's madness, his passion, his dance, his restlessness from the songs Khalibali and Binte Dil. His role of being bi-sexual and portraying it with such elegance. Kudos to Bhansali for the execution. Here, let me take a moment to clap for the one and only person without whom the portrayal wouldn't have been possible: Jim Saarbh. Man, you have a fan in me for the second time now. From accent to body language. From talking with the eyes to the acting. I can actually watch Jim and Singh together for a whole film and still not have enough of their chemistry.
Coming back. This movie is Khilji's. It is Ranveer Singh's. I wonder why the movie wasn't named Khilji. It would've spared the film all the cuts, controversies, VFX's and re-shoots. A tad too long on the viewing side because the film didn't have much material to show barring the main story, Khilji had a much more screen time than Padmavati herself. Shahid, I am a bit disappointed with. So I am with Deepika. Aditi Rao Hydari, not surprisingly, did extremely well in the time she had.
I can name scenes after scenes where Khilji owned. But that would give in a lot about the movie. There were rumours (or was it true?) about Singh having to visit a psychiatrist to make him come out of character. After watching the film, I would love to believe it was the truth. No one, in their sane self, can act so brutally realistic as this man. There were rumours that Singh saw Khilji's ghost on set. I would love to believe, Khilji's ghost possessed Singh. Or else, it wouldn't have been possible. Khilji's eyes would haunt me. Or, being the sadist I am, comfort me.
The scars, the hair flip, the beard, the hunger, the rawness, the meatiness (you would know what I mean once you watch the movie) are oh so seductive. Yes, I'm crushing on a villian. No, he wasn't a villian. Yes, he would always remain Sultan-e-Hind. No, he isn't a hero. He is so much. He is so much more. Singh brings the character so much life.
"Ek Jung Husn Ke Naam..."
So be it. At the end of the movie if you see his eyes, reflecting on which is the fire of the Jauhar committed by Padmavati, you would easily feel his reaction... All this, for nothing? But then life goes on. According to historical facts, Khilji wasn't so barbarian as portrayed. According to historical facts, Khilji went to depression while the cries of the women commiting Jauhar in front of his eyes haunted him. But he lived. And that's all that matters.
Khilji would be one of those characters portrayed by Ranveer that would remain with me (along with Malik Kafur by Jim Saarbh) while I might just forget the movie completely.
Ranveer baba, I can write so much about you in this but I would end... End with the lines...
"Aatish kada adaaon se, Jal uthega aap ke, Deeda ae tarr ka hijaab..."
No comments:
Post a Comment