Padmaavat (2018) User Reviews

An opulent yet flawed spectacle of an old wives' tale where Mr. Khilji takes the.. eh.. was about to say cake..!

[vibhutius · 7/10 · 15 September 2018]

Ironically, the movie is obsessed with Rajputana "Aan-Baan-Shaan" most of which got lost in protests.

Bhansali unabashedly depicts a stark contrast between 'righteous' Hindu and 'dastardly' Muslim warfare cultures, and due to deficiency of shades of grey the movie greatly suffers from lack-of-depth syndrome. However, Bhansali tries to make up for it with magnificent visual poetry and his typical OCDness in set design.

Unlike Rajamouli, Bhansali doesn't invent laws of motion. Instead, he rewrites Indian geography. Chittorgarh looks like Pushkar crossed with Asgard and Valhalla, and Delhi looks like Agrabah from Arabian Nights. Moreover, Khilji's march to Chittorgarh seems easier than commuting to Gurugram from Delhi.

Shahid's Ratansingh doesn't have to do much apart from showing his righteousness and sinewy torso. Had he been born in the British Raj, he would have played a princely cricketer who could contribute little with bat and ball but had the Wisden memorized by heart. Time for Shahid to return to Mr Bharadwaj.

Deepika's Padmaavati is adorned to such an extent that her jewelry would outweigh her hubby's chain-mail. She's the reason why men must take caution in watching this movie with their beloved as V-Day looms by. She manages to boil the pot in the first half but comes on her own in the second. Her chemistry with Shahid is lukewarm at best.

Ranveer's Khilji is the reason why we all watched Jurassic Park - to see the T-Rex. He gobbles up meat with the same intensity and dwarfs everything around. His narcissism, grandiosity and menacing grin can give Gabbar Singh an inferiority complex. Compound it with a beefed up physique, dark soulless eyes and sexual monstrosity which is way more intense than that of rapists depicted in 90s flicks. His moments with Malik Kafur are the best this movie has to offer.

Had Bhansali named this movie as "Khilji Ka Aatank", he could have had lesser problems with CBFC and Karni Sena.

Didn't live up to its potential!

[ssandy-97546 · 6/10 · 25 January 2018]

Watching a Bhansali movie is always a treat. Padmaavat promised to leave a mark on Bollywood with its lavish set, gorgeous costume, breath-taking visuals, larger than life characters and a mesmerising music but if you remove all that Padmaavat is your mediocre Bollywood movie with foot tapping dance number.

This movie didn't live up to its potential, a total waste of such fine actors and acting. When I say acting I mean brooding, delivering punch lines, looking gorgeous, flexing biceps and wielding swords. I started respecting Deepika as an actor after Ramleela, paired with Ranveer, this couple proved they are here to rule Bollywood but Padmaavat is going to disappoint fans of this couple.

That being said, why didn't I rate this movie as low as possible? Like I said earlier, Bhansali's movies are a visual treat. You can hate them or you can love them but cannot deny that his movies are a class apart and he nobody can beat him in his own game. He is one of a kind filmmaker this industry needs who deserves appreciation for his work.

I'm reviewing this movie after 12 hrs and even now I can't stop the background score playing in my head on a loop. That ending had me on the edge of my seat, it was the only saving grace of this sinking ship.

Padmaavat is history of the Rajputs unveiled, and undoubtedly a Must Watch!

[Natasha0705 · 8/10 · 25 January 2018]

Duration : 164 minutes Genre : Period Drama

Shahid Kapoor... As Ratan Singh, the last Rajput ruler. Shahid looks kingly and worthy for his role, he shows immense power and bravery as a Rajput emperor. Deepika Padukone... As Padmaavati, the legendary Rajput queen. Deepika as known to be an artist who is beautiful and equally talented, she mesmerizes with her beauty, brains and emotions. Ranveer Singh... As Alauddin Khilji, the Afghan ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Ranveer unveils his monstrous and vicious character; he immediately makes you hate him in his first few scenes, Definitely his best performance till date! Absolutely applause worthy... Both Jim Sarbh as Malik Kafur, the general slave of Alauddin and Aditi Rao Hydari as Mehrunisa, the wife of Alauddin blend in their characters well.

Story : Based on the epic poem Padmaavat (1540), the journey of a Rajput queen who performs Jauhar (self immolation) to protect herself from Khilji. The mastermind Sanjay Leela Bhansali turns poetry into motion in a very majestic way. His vision on the locations, props, lighting, battle scenes, costumes, background score is admirable.

Music : Unlike the much celebrated music of Bajirao Mastani, the music of Padmaavat is weak and unpromising. However the track Ek Dil Ek Jaan is beautiful and Ghoomar's choreography is worth a praise.

Overall Padmaavat is history of the Rajputs unveiled, and undoubtedly a Must Watch!

I got fooled by the hype!

[kimayarawat · 25 January 2018]

SPOILER: What do you get when you have Bhansali, Ranveer, Deepika and Shahid in a movie? Well, I can't believe I'm saying this but sometimes you just get a shitty movie! Shahid is utterly miscast as a warrior king. He looks like a puffed up frog next to Ranveer and just doesn't cut it in this world. But the movie itself is honestly....terrible. The plot mechanics, basic story elements are just filled with illogical scenes. The CGI is horrendous! People are offended by this movie for various reasons but here I was offended by the bad CGI. The songs are just plain bad, two of them are so sudden and misplaced that you just end up laughing out loud. Never does it reach the level of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas and Bajirao Mastani either visually or musically.

Now, Ranveer as Khilji is committed, looks great but the character is hollow because the film maker is in love with the actor. Never do we see Khijli's savagery or rumoured bisexuality. There is this idea that he's in search of LOVE but let's be honest, he was going to rape a queen...he wasn't some misunderstood bad boy. The violence, the sexual themes, religious differences in this war...everything is just disneyfied for prettiness and that's just bad cause it's not a Disney movie, it's a warrior movie and Bhansali should have make it like one. The slow-motion scenes are another minus point in this movie, the turban-tying and holi-rubbing are taking such a long-ass time. Shahid and Deepika have no chemistry, whatsoever. Why Padmawati falls in love with this symbol of hollow masculinity that is Raja Ratan Singh? No reason is given. The entire Rajput's strategy has dug a big hole and get captured.

The final fight should have been like Troy, but Shahid and Ranveer are mismatched. It's doesn't seem Shahid is interested at all. There is supposed to be a scheme and escape ending in a tragic sacrifice but we have terrible CGI instead taking all the air out. What also annoyed me is the lack of world building. Where is Mewar? What is Chittor? Is Khijli's throne in Delhi? And how does it take to get from one place to the other? How did Ratan Singh get kidnapped with all his guards outside the tent? Is Ratan Singh a good king, we should root for? Is he a warrior? Never is this established so all the showdowns with Khijli mean nothing. Also the betrayal that kicks off the war is never explained? Why was the priest watching???? Like I've said before, this movie is just filled with illogical loopholes and the movie is sooooo long like almost 3 hours.

Padmavat fails to establish emotional connect as the writing is pale and withdrawn. Despite all its opulence and grandeur that is a given in a SLB film it still does not have the "heart" that is associated in such films. Battle-scenes wise, sadly there is more action in the streets than in the film.

One of the best directed movie of Bollywood.

[kunder-akshay3 · 9/10 · 28 January 2018]

Ok then! After a long controversy Padmavati finally releases and that too with a slight name change.

What I really loved about this movie is that along with the performances it is actually a very rare piece of beauty even in the technical aspect.It is never easy to get the audience a feel as if they are actually living in the same time as shown in the movie and Padmaavat achieves it very well.

Surely one of the best from Sanjay Leela Bhansali.Background score is very intriguing.Climax fight very short.However the last scene does feel a little rushed.

Shahid shines even though many may say he was under used , but that was his role and he performed like a seasoned guy.Deepika shines in the lead. Ranveer is seriously very awesome and his villainous act will go down along with list of Gabbars and the Mogambos.Jim Sarbh plays his part well as a side kick to Ranveer and yes, his entry scene is the best one.

All in all, it is a movie to be experienced in the cinema hall. Go for it.

dhokah dhokha

[riteshagarwal-58662 · 6/10 · 25 January 2018]

All fight scenes are scattered and too short. First half is so so boring, and no story at all. It was dragged in a beautiful fashion, to bore the user to death..second half is better. At least had some story at least.

Worth it!

[ayushsinha0 · 10/10 · 28 January 2018]

Great cinematography, awesome acting and the background music is just mesmerizing. The initial course of the movie skims through a lot of the events and you would feel like its fast paced. But Bhansali sticks to the main crux of the movie (which is Rajputana pride) and that is very detailed. Padmaavat presents a very glorified version of the Rajput pride, and one would definitely look at the brighter side of it. Ranveer's acting sets the stage and Shahid's character as one who is calm as well as jittery at times, suits him. Deepika, once again stands out as the best character in a Bhansali film. There's this small part in the end, with the music tempo rising and action going forward at a faster pace which will really give you goosebumps. Definitely worth the money and time.

u stay interested throughout the proceedings

[beevenkat · 7/10 · 9 February 2019]

#Padmaavat is an epic film which ensures that u stay interested throughout the proceedings. Every scene, every frame, every character is larger than life. Bhansali's able direction n music will stay with u for a long time after u exit the theater. The rajputs r supposed to be brave n righteous. But Ratan Singh completely ignores his first wife as soon as he eyes Rani Padmavati. So where is true love? Khiljis character seems to be highly exaggerated. Wonder why hes shown as a maniac n a monster. There is nothing objectionable tho. Watch it. Rating 3.5/5.

OUTSTANDING MOVIE

[mohitpathak-52361 · 10/10 · 25 January 2018]

Wonderful acting by Deepika Padukone, Ranveer singh and Shahid Kapoor. Movie has glorified Rajputs to the core. Padmaavat is a Masterpiece and a visual brilliance created by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. A Must watch movie.

Great Story, Big Canvas but lose Direction

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 7/10 · 27 January 2018]

PADMAAVAT REVIEW :

I have not seen film in theater, i watched it on Mobile so i'm not writing much detailed review. This one is short review, see If that helps you. Fantastic Story (thanks to History), somewhere lose to decent Screenplay, Excellent BGM, Dull Music, Film is as Grand as Bahubali but lacks that visionary Direction. Overall a Very Good Film but nothing Outstanding there.

Acting and Impact wise Ranveer > Shahid > Deepika. All 3 have played Characters of Lifetime but not performance of lifetime. Ranveer looks Cruel, Lusty. Shahid is Brave and Dashing. Deepika looks Traditional Beauty. For someone who already knows the story, Climax is not much Exciting. Film has many boring moments, unnecessary songs. Dialogues are top notch. But that MASS Entertainment is missing, neither CLASS is there. SLB has to get over of this Magnum Opus thing now. Recently he's more focused towards Big Sets, Lavishness but not concentrated on Content. Black being Non Grand film but it's his Best till date. He has lost that Class. Come on we Want Content rather than Big Sets. For someone who have seen and liked Magnum Opus like Class LOTR and Mass Bahubali2 this Padmaavat will look a tiny ordinary doll. That Director's Vision is missing, this Script with Rajamouli's vision and he would have made 500cr film.

Overall an Average film saved by Climax which lifted the Tempo in last 20 mins, ends up being a Very Good Film. This one deserves an Entry in 200cr Club. I'm going with 7/10* it's better than Bajirao Mastani but not a Classic. This film does not hurt Rajput Sentiments, instead it Glorifies Rajput Culture and tells their Bravery. Instead of doing useless Protest, take your kids to watch the film and let them know Glory of Rajput's Bravery and Pride.

An eye candy movie; And its not the magnun opus of Sanjay Leela Bhansali

[gputhal · 5/10 · 25 January 2018]

From the very beginning, this movie will try to buy you out with its lavish sets, costumes and visual effects but as it proceeds futher it only seems like a show-off; how they have spent so much money. This movie is one dimensional like its characters and the writing is too lazy: both for the character developement and screenplay. The dialogues were pathetic, self-glorifying and at places they were quite absurd. Its quite funny actually when you see the close-ups come after a dialogue and these are apparently meant for you to clap or shout or blow whistles in the theatre. Amongst the lead trio, Shahid was pretty convincing but Ranveer's role was seemingly over stretched and Deepika had literaaly the same expression on her face throughout the movie. This movie was long and filled with shots showing the shallow depth of the background to make you notice its vastness. And don't forget some really good plot holes, and these are many in number too.

However, the cinematography was good. Some visuals were great but the dance nubers were the ones to rescue. They were very well choreographed and the music was great( These reminded me me of watching a Bhansali movie).

If you sum the movie all up, then its nothing more than a mediocre treatment to an epic tale and you will feel that showing great pieces of art on screen doesn't make it a great art itself.

Breathtaking cinematography, stellar performances, melodious music makes a Bollywood classic

[khanh-18576 · 10/10 · 25 January 2018]

Bhansali is known for his visual direction, spellbinding music and triumphant, passionate productions, and Padmaavat will sure not disappoint.

Set in Medieval Rajistan, the film sets the story on Rani Padmavati,a gorgeous, rich Queen of Rajput who is married to the great warrior, Mehwar. However, the Afghani, villainous king sends threats to Rajput and wants to earn Padmavati's love. The film has fun, foot tapping songs, especially 'Ghoomar', the beautifully shot sequence and show stealer of the movie. The music from start to finish will undoubtedly keep you on the edge of your seat.

Aside from its music, there are great, epic battles that change the narrative from a light to dark effect which is seen throughout the movie.

One of the best things about Padmaavat are the performances of these talented, well-known stars. Deepika Padoukne leads as Padmavati, looking stunning as usual in spectacular costumes which spin so fast during incredible, fast-paced dance sequences. Shahid Kapoor plays Mehwar the King of Rajput alongside Ranveer Singh, Aluddin, who is the real actor out of all.

But the best thing of Padmaavat is the cinematography, this is the main heart of the movie, from the magical palace to the incredible battle sequences , the narrative is developed through astonishing visual goodness.

Sounds great, acts great , looks great but is it actually great?, the story of Padmaavat is based on the epic poem of the same name, so they sharpened the creative work for a very unpredictable ending...

Padmavaat is a Bollywood hit and opens up the year with enchantment and boldness. This is Bhansali's best work and is definitely worth the watch.

Visually mesmerising

[md_bunny1003 · 7/10 · 28 January 2018]

Sanjay Leela Bhansali strikes yet another visually mesmerising sight with the 2hr 43min Padmaavat. Spread across Afghanisthan, Singhal and Rajasthan, each and every frame of the movie is visually stunning and is a treat for the eyes, including the actors, who look flawless. As for the actors in the film, Rani Padmavati(Deepika Padukone) puts up a good performance, with amazing dialogues. However, I expected some more screentime from her, and an even grittier performance. She looks bold and beautiful, but her real performance shone at the climax, which was again blown a tad too much, I felt. Ranveer Singh gives a brilliant performance once more as Allaudin Khilji. He portrays the vociferous, eccentric and ruthlessness of the character with ease, and nails it in every frame. Every slight action of his oozes out his character. His best so far. Raja Ratan Singh(Shahid Kapoor) is simply brilliant as the valiant king of Mewar. His bravery shone in his eyes, and dialogue delivery was on point. Why was he given such a small screentime? Was expecting to see him much more. He was simply amazing. Also, the movie stretched a tad bit long, and Shahid and Deepika's chemistry faltered. Somehow left for more

Overrated and waste of time.

[pratikzaveri-36218 · 1/10 · 4 April 2018]

Just saw the movie on Prime. OMG! Completely idiotic, senseless and overrated. Not only is the story is weak and illogical, it makes no sense even considering the era it is shown. Regardless of controversy, this one doesn't deserve more than 1 star. Total waste of time, money and resources.

Very disappointing that SLB, Deepika, Ranveer and Shahid went for this script. I'd rather watch his Black, Gabbar or other movies again.

This Picture Resembles the Indian Culture to treat others, Indian Women Self respect and Excellence of Rajputs

[anelkumar159 · 10/10 · 25 January 2018]

Definitely this Diamond movie will be one among the diamonds we have in the Indian Cinema. Every frame is crafted, and coming to Acting, Lighting,Taking ,Graphics, choreography etc are excellent.

There are few min fillers and little slow narration as well, but this movie can be termed as near to Absolute perfectness.

Phenomenal movie!!!

[brigitulea-60427 · 27 January 2018]

Okay this is my first review that I ever wrote on IMDB, after watching the movie I decided to create IMDB account just to tell everyone how phenomenal the movie was! The movie is absolutely amazing! Deepika looked so beautiful and did her acting was amazing. Shahid was great too, the chemistry between padmavati and maharawal ratan singh was so beautiful! And Ranveer was the best, his acting was so on point. No one could've done a better acting in this role, I'm glad ranveer was chosen for this part! Alauddin was cruel, a monster and obsessed with padmavati. He wanted to get her at any cost. The jauhar scene was the best part of the movie! It was so intense and heartbreaking... I still can't get over how beautiful the movie was! 10/10 would watch a million times!

Dipika Padukone's worst film

[zenb-07616 · 7/10 · 26 January 2018]

This movie is basically a jewelry advertisement. Filled with potholes, clichés, and all around bad acting.

Visual Masterpiece.

[roy-09055 · 10/10 · 25 January 2018]

The film lives upto its hype. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has moved the benchmark for Indian Cinema higher with this stunning film. I was skeptical about it before I viewed it but I am pleasantly surprised & frankly still in awe of its beauty.

A cinematography master but a fragile story

[haniesmayilhe · 7/10 · 26 January 2018]

Let me list out the Pros and Cons.

Pros: -Beautiful Cinematography -Amazing dialogues -Ranveer Singh's acting is top notch -Nothing much of a controversy

Cons: -Not Sanjay Leela Bansali's best -Apart from Ranveer and Aditi Rao,the rest of the casts were below expectation -Too many slow-motion scenes -Weak story-line,was expecting it to be epic -The clan fights were less intriguing -3D format was unnecessary as it didn't work well with many scenes.

A must ..

[jvs-suryavanshi · 10/10 · 29 January 2018]

Bhansali's best work till date. Its a must watch, Every actor's performance adds to its charm. Dont miss it.

Good storyteller in history with a stroke on visual brilliance

[iravavastav · 7/10 · 2 February 2018]

Complete entertainer providing visual delight. In medieval India, an ambitious sultan hears of queen of mewar's (Padmavat) beauty and forms an obsessive love for her is all about the story. With the slow narration, weak war scenes movie fall flat not meeting the expectations of the cinema viewer. However, its a great experience with high technical aspects, ranveer's energetic action and SLB's visual brilliance with no surprises.

Nothing more than a jewelry advertisement.

[rahul-raviprasad1991 · 1/10 · 25 January 2018]

Very boring and slow, focus of the movie seems to be just few models playing dressing up, swooning and lots and lots of slow motion staring.

Stupid to have so much slow motion scenes if you are not intending to emphasize something.

People who watch movies to check out dresses and jewelry will be able to see this

Graphics, tradition, and skill set

[sworonoffa · 10/10 · 14 May 2018]

I was at first daunted by this movie because of its controversy in the real world (as well as a near 3 hour movie), but! This was incredibly made. The graphics were incredible with eye catching costumes, designs, sets, and acting. Everything was beautiful and I was in awe. I couldn't get up even to eat, get water, and so on. I loved how well made this movie in comparison to current screenings of Hollywood movies (nothing to compare, this was amazing). I am baffled that I had only learned about this movie because of its controversy (which may have brought an entirely new audience to this movie thus possibly opening up a new range of people for future movies).

I regret to say that there is a something in the movie that I can see being a problem which would be a stereotypical male macho and pride problem that causes problems (goes both ways for this story); however, I believe that the way everyone is portrayed gives beauty to each character and the plot (no matter of fiction or reality). I cannot say anything about the real world controversy because I am not well versed, but this movie paints a beautiful image of past times in a beautiful screenplay and I appreciate everything from the music to the lighting (the lighting is fantastic). Incredible job! Will be watching again as soon as I finish this review.

Not upto expectation

[annmarybabyonline · 7/10 · 9 September 2020]

Watching it so late this quarantine.it is definitely worth a watch. Visuals are stunning especially climax. But there is nothing gripping about the story. If it was love which he wanted to emphasis i didn't see that kind of chemistry between shahid and deepika. Ranveer as khilji was spectacular. But i felt like the character was unnecessarily shown as a beast with wild make up and costume. His acting was spectacular. The war scenes were also not that epic as not much significance is given to it. I couldnt feel the romance between the King and Queen as they were narrating only bold lines with bold body language.Overall not upto Bajirao Mastani. That was story-wise and visually master piece of Bhansali.

Nonsensical effort to destroy facts

[dmarti-17311 · 1/10 · 7 March 2019]

I really hoped that I would not be intrested in history and illiterate not read history to enjoy this movie. Director and producer SLB should have really researched the history books or atleast read Wikipedia of Alauddin Khilji, in the film Alauddin's character has been portrayed as if his only obsession is women and he can go to any length to get women by sacrificing his own army to serve his purpose, which is totally incorrect. Climax scene where 2 kings fights is perfect example how makers of this movie has only served to regional audiences by totally ruining the facts. In all makers of this has tried to used the emotion of Hindus to make this movie atleast hit by completely ruining the historical facts. Acting wise this should be the worst performance for every actor as each character is struggling to play their own role, Leaving apart couples of scenes Ranveer Singh tried to overact, deepika is struggling to act and Shahid Kapoor has totally underperformed. During middle audiences loose the tracks as every actor trying to prove themselves. In all this movies is total waste of time, money and energy.