Padmaavat- A tale of Durga v/s Mahishasura (Part 1)

STORY:

In medieval India, Princess Padmavati falls in love with already married Maharawal Ratan Singh, King of Chittor. Upon their marriage, Padmavati is crowned queen, taking the place of wife of Ratan Singh and they reside together in joy and splendor. Their reign is a time of peace and tranquility, or so it seems. Yet to the north, the story of Padmavati's unique beauty reaches the court of Alauddin Khalji, sovereign of the Sultanate of Delhi. Driven by obsessive desire to achieve Padmavati because of stories of her splendid beauty, Sultan Khilji prepares his armies for an attack on fortress of Chittorgarh. 

CAST:

• Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati
• Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh
• Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji
• Jim Sarbh as Malik Kafur
• Anupriya Goenka as Rani Nagmati
• Aditit Rao Hyadri as Begum Mehrunisa
• Padmawati Rao as Kunwar Baisa
• Aayam Mehta as Raghav Chetan
• Ujjwal Chopra as Gora Singh

Padmaavat was not just a film,it was an experience. The film is intoxicating and nayaab just like Khilji's obsession for Rani Padmavati. I am amused when people say that this is SLB's weakest or most regressive film; for me this film is victorious, an out and out SLB film in so many ways. Neither the pre-release ugly politics around Padmaavat stop it in any way from being loved by the audiences nor the initial financial troubles stop this film from being made and released. It is also one of the most expensive films ever made. I got really infuriated when the release date was shifted from 1st December 2017 to 25th January 2018. Also was irked by the title change. But When I saw the film first day itself, I was emotional and ecstatic. I could not believe the kind of spectacle Padmaavat turned out to be. From the trademark SLB shots , the powerful characterizations, underlying emotions in every scene, breath-taking visuals (Kudos to cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee), mesmerizing music, fantastic choreography , out of the world Art direction and to master-class performances. I was thrilled, proud and amazed by the sheer brilliance and impact that film generated despite all the unnecessary obstacles SLB and his team had to face ever since the commencement of the shooting of the film.

In this post I will talk about various elements and their relation to Rani Padmavati. Rani Padmavati is always associated fire or light in some way or the other, multiple times in the film. She is as fiesty and powerful as fire. The fire is also a symbol of hidden or unfulfilled desires. Padmavati at many instances is also referred to as a goddess. "Asuron ka vinaash karne devi ko bhi gadh se utarna pada tha"  (Goddess also had to descend from the fort to destroy the Demons) says Padmavati in a particular scene. Her attitude, strength, courage and warrior-like spirit is similar to that of Goddess Durga.  

Goddess Durga

Rani Padmavati

We see the most of the things that Goddess Durga is holding in her hands with Padmavati also at various stages in her life and these things are mostly weapons. This indicates that Padmavati, indeed is a symbol of love, inspiration and also destruction. Be it the her strategy of killing the main conspirator, Raghav Chetan via Khilji(which was brilliant, henceforth also weakening Khilji army strength since Raghav Chetan served as the main force to attack Chittor) or the absolute destruction or vinaash of Khilji's evil desires and his lust/obsession for her. She is both, a healer and a huntress.

Padmavati with a Bow-Arrow

Padmavati holding a sword

Padmavati with a Trishul

As you can see, Padmavati uses these shastra (weapons) at some point or the other. Now look at the picture of Goddess Durga above. The Goddess has also these weapons with her. Padmavati, thus can be regarded as an incarnation of the same. And this what SLB has shown in the film too.

Infact she is shown a woman of substance and is no less than a warrior. There are many cases where she is able to judge or decide a situation better than her husband, for instance when Ratan Singh accepts Khilji's request for having lunch with him, it is her only who sees it as a trap. Elsewhere too she is the one who identifies its Raghav Chetan who sneaks in her and Ratan Singh's intimate moments, just by the smell of sandalwood from the Knife which Ratan Singh could not despite knowing him for so many years. A true warrior has sharp instincts and senses, are able to decode traps by enemies, are strong, fearless and will never give up at any cost. All these attributes were present in Padmavati and also other women shown in the film as well. They might be delicate and very soft, but when it comes to protecting their rights, dignity, honour and self-respect, they will always fight like warriors.
Thats why Padmavati says "Rajputi kangan mein utni hi taakat hai jitni Rajputi talwaar mein"  (Rajput women are as powerful as Rajput men). I felt SLB was not paying homage to not only Padmavati but to all the women of today who fight battles everyday in their own respect.

SLB shows Padmavati as someone who fights for dharam (morals and ethics) symbolizing the brave warrior side of hers. She gives an empowering speech to all the women of Chittor before Jauhar and tells them how this a dharam yudh (Battle for ethics) than anything else. She also explains how important it is to fight for their own rights and choices. She says its time for the women to show how brave they are. The auspicious pyre that they took oath before, with their husbands to live and die together, the same pyre will act as their guardian today; they will submit themselves to it. In this way they will all do jauhar.  Their bodies will turn into ashes but what will remain immortal is their pride, principles and honor. This is where Padmavati, is in her ultimate warrior-revenge zone. Her eyes are filled with tears of valor and bravery. The women too are fearless and are ready for the big fight with Alauddin and his army. Thus, dharam  here is in context of one's pride and self-esteem.

Look at the lighting, colors and cinematography in the above shots, its spectacular!! How does SLB do this every time? The speech is itself explains a lot about what the women will do in the series leading to jauhar. Padmavati says that "humara shatru humari parchaayi tak nahi milegi" (our enemies will not be able to see our shadow even). This is a retort to an earlier fact made by Raghav Chetan to Khilji, when he describes Padmavati's beauty to him and says that, "Parchaayi bhi dekhlo, toh paane ko ji chahe" (even her shadow will make you obsessed with her). And this is what exactly happens in the end. Khilji is not able to see her shadow even, before she does jauhar.  In this way Padmavati has won the battle, becoming immortal in history and Khilji has lost his pride, arrogance,power and importance forever. In short, he is defeated for life.

I want to write a lot about the film, there is so much to admire and appreciate in it, and thus have decided to do so in parts, for your better understanding.  This part is just an introduction of Padmavati and the film. I promise to write more about this fascinating woman and other interesting stuff of the film in the upcoming parts. Till then enjoy reading this post :)

Other parts coming soon

Anila Velidimalla