Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s highly anticipated, big budget film — Padmavati‘s trailer is finally out. All these months of Bhansali and his team toiling and getting slammed by Karni Senas and other right wing outfits can breathe easy since the trailer has no traces of offending them.
Shahid Kapoor’s Maharawal Ratan Singh looks honourable, heroic, almost angelic. And his heroism is displayed when his wife, Rani Padmini, played by a gorgeous Deepika Padukone, puts the crown on his head with such pride. As though he were her god.
And off he goes to defend his wife’s honour and battle it out with the barbaric outsider. It’s clear that Ranveer Singh — the barbaric Muslim warrior — is the villain, especially since he grits his teeth, leaves his hair and beard unkempt, and sports animal-like mannerisms.
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For a film that has been titled Padmavati, after the iconic character who came to be known as the sacrificial wife who did all in the name of honour, there’s little shown of her except looking vulnerable or righteous. While the men were shown flexing their virility (or in Ranveer’s case, his barbaric way of doing things even when he’s eating meat), the lone woman is shown as the synonym of beauty, grace, and the much-needed feminine touch in this testosterone-high trailer. Needless to say, while the attention is pretty much drawn on Ranveer’s Alauddin and his villainy (bordering on racist considering it displays a version of history that has been disputed several times), Rani Padmini is merely looked at as Maharawal Ratan Singh’s woman staying by his side, looking flawless in her heavy jewellery and clothes. More than what we hoped to see her do, we merely catch a glimpse of her devotion to her husband, such as sewing her husband’s turban and, like the titular empowered Hindu woman in films whose honour is at stake, she walks into a temple with a trishul in her hand.
Nevertheless, the costumes and effects of the battlefield and army look grand – a typical of Bhansali film. Giving us vibes of the TV show Game of Thrones, the only thing missing perhaps are three dragons.
Jointly produced by Bhansali Productions and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Padmavati is based on the legendary queen from the epic ‘Padmavat’ written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540 CE. The film is scheduled to release on December 1.
Watch the trailer here:
Feature Image: YouTube screen grab
