Padmavat, the Airawat!

Airawat is the celestial white elephant, belonging to the Lord of Lords, Indra.

Colloquially speaking, a white elephant represents a priceless object of desire, which has proven to be kind of a liability for its owner.

The movie Padmavat is nothing short of celestial. Its owner Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the Lord of Lords in the world of celluloid. And the ownership of Padmavat has, well, we all know…not been easy to protect.

But, true to its theme of Rajput Aan Baan and Shaan, SLB has put his all at stake to protect the dignity of his creation.

Padmavat is a movie par excellence! Na bhooto na bhavishyati!

What should I talk of first… The grandeur the movie takes you through, the supreme performances of Ranveer and Deepika, and even Shahid, or the imagination and storytelling of SLB?

Nothing I say will do justice to the spectacle.

Ranveer and Deepika have hit jackpot with SLB. With back to back three SLB movies that showcase the couple’s beauty, performance and the potential to set the screen on fire, with Padmavat they will be immortalised in Bollywood history.

Ranveer!!! As Allauddin Khilji has shown his natural adeptness to go from mean to cruel in a matter of a few ‘looks’.

This has to be his best performance, his best costume, his best dance and his best loverboy persona till date and future date.

The song Khalli Balli and the energy with which Ranveer dances in it reminds you of Tattad Tattad of Ram Leela and Malhari of Bajirao Mastani.

And the bone and bane of contention, the Ghoomar song, takes the traditional Rajasthani folk dance to a different level of grace and elegance.

That’s what makes me wonder… How can the so called preservers of Rajput dignity have anything against this film, which is nothing, but a parade of Rajputana Aan Baan and Shaan.

Whether history has been twisted or not,  the movie is a win-win for the audience. The battles between the Kings and Sultans, the darbars and raj mahals and the drama of princely coup d’etats jump out of our school history book imaginations and get painted in show-reel canvasses.

And the painter, his signature evident, takes a bow in every scene that can be frozen and hung up in an art gallery.

All 5 stars to the magnum opus, Padmavat!!

And yes, if possible see it in the 3D IMAX experience.