Padmavati trailer: The king, the mad man and I



One of most anticipated films this year is director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Padmavati, starring Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. The trailer of this big budget period drama released this afternoon and I couldn’t help but wonder what the purpose of making this movie was, apart from of course cashing in on the off-screen interest in Ranveer and Deepika, and the obvious good looks and acting talent of Shahid.

The trailer begins with long and extra long shots of rolling hills and forts, taking us away from the grime of city life into the lamp lit beauty of Rajasthan, illuminated further by the undeniably stunning Deepika Padukone. We meet Padmavati and King Rawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor) possibly at their wedding, or during their arrival to his palace post their nuptuals. It then introduces us to Allauddin Khilji (Ranveeer Singh) shaking his long locks off and acting like Bajirao on crack for the rest of the trailer. He has clearly taken his role of the seemingly hedonistic despot very seriously, eating a piece of meat almost sexually, and at one point admiring his multiple reflections and blowing himself a kiss. It’s also something you can quite expect the actor to do off screen as well, given his rather over the top personality.

However, I found the trailer problematic on several levels. For starters, there is no passion, romance or intimacy of any kind between the characters. Shahid and Deepika smile politely, or bond formally over what seems to be a constant need for repair or installation of his head gear. This movie is about a woman who is perhaps the closest Indian equivalent to the Helen of Troy. The queen whose beauty caused wars and led ultimately to her own unfortunate death. Considering the dramatic narrative, you would expect a more passionate teaser, perhaps a sprinkling of lust, a hint of love, but the trailer looks like a great music video that leaves you cold. This is possibly to appease political outfits who vandalized the film’s sets and have threatened further violence before its release. The sets, armies and war paraphernalia looks recycled, and there is absolutely no context established about what we are watching, or how these three characters are connected to each other.

For a film titled Padmavati, the trailer devotes much more time establishing the two men battling for her, the husband and the amorous foreigner. The two men sway and prance, go topless, and brandish their oiled and bronzed masculinity with fervor. Deepika ends up gazing, pondering, carrying a token Trishul to evoke the rather exhausted Durga symbolism, but concludes the trailer by talking about Rajputi kangans (bangles) having as much valour as Rajputi swords.



But clearly the hand that wears the kangan does not wield the sword. So, she sows her husband’s turban, and he wields a sword to defend her honour.

As the background score thunders, Padmavati is the rani sa, the aan, baan and Rajputi shaan (pride and honour), draped head to toe in traditional clothing and jewellery, her covered head keeping the honour of her kingdom intact. While it remains to be seen if the film stays completely true to the original story, and she actually leads the women of the kingdom into a mass self-immolation, Bhansali’s choice of subject is troubling.  

Padmavati’s trailer also brings up problematic issues of caste, religion; and as a feminist scholar rightly put it, it places a community’s honour in a woman’s vagina. The trailer mentions the Rajput honor several times, and typecasts the Muslim opponents as a savage army of rapists.  The women in the original tale, committed Jauhar or self-immolation, because once the castle walls were breached, it meant either a painful death, or horrific sexual abuse. Perhaps historically, the women in the era did have no choice but suicide to avoid sexual slavery and gang rape, but in a day and age when we are encouraging rape victims to fight for justice, why make a film about women choosing death because patriarchy rendered them being defenseless? Why choose to glorify war and battle fields where men fought over a woman, but did nothing to empower her to fight for her safety and self-determination? Glamourising Allaundin Khilji who fought a war to acquire a beautiful woman as his trophy, a queen who chillingly accepted being burnt alive to save the perceived honour of her caste and community, or a husband who allowed this mass suicide to occur is both irresponsible and dangerous.

Death and impossible love stories in grandiose settings seems to be the director’s pet formula, and sadly it has worked so far. But one sincerely hopes that he chooses to someday make cinema that is less about the sets, more about soulful storytelling, and never defensive of patriarchy or misogyny.  

















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