It’s the dog days of summer and the temperature where I live is creeping very close to 100 degrees. So I’ve been staying inside watching dramas and movies, as well as doing a bit of blogging. I have a backlog of kdramas to catch up on, but I keep getting tempted by shows outside of Korea and the U.S. The epic Indian historical movie Padmaavat popped up as a recommendation on Amazon Prime and I clicked play.

Trailer:

Synopsis:

In his quest for power and to obtain all things precious, Sultan Alauddin Khilji is ruthless and greedy. Killing his own uncle for his throne, he sets out to conquer other lands tempted not just by power and land, but by the beautiful treasures and women within these lands. When he hears of the exquisitely beautiful Queen Padmaavat, he is obsessed with adding her to his collection. He never considered that this may be one conquest he couldn’t win.

Plot:

An epic tale set in the 13th Century, Padmaavat has one of my favorite themes, a strong woman who protects her honor and her love. After being banished for spying on the intimate moments of his King and Queen, royal priest Raghav Chetan tells Sultan Alauddin about the most beautiful jewel of Chittor, Queen Padmaavat. Alauddin immediately decides he must have her and sets out to conquer Mewar. His efforts are thwarted by the Rajput forces and the Queen herself, but Alauddin doesn’t follow the rules of war or hospitality. He attacks again and again.

Cinematography:

So I’m going to be honest here, it’s a beautiful film, but so much of the background is obviously fake and that was distracting. In one scene they are firebombing the fortress and the CGI is so bad. I’m pretty sure most of this was filmed on set with backgrounds and that wouldn’t be bad, but most of the backgrounds look kind of fuzzy and out of focus.

Characters:

Queen Padmaavat-The most beautiful woman of several kingdoms. She is a warrior princess who shoots an arrow at a deer and hits a man instead. She falls in love with him and discovers that he is the King of the Rajputs. She returns to his kingdom as his Queen. More than just a pretty face, she is brave enough to save her King from a dungeon and to deny Alauddin what he wants the most.

King Maharawal Ratan Singh- King of the Rajputs. An honorable king, he is also a wise tactician. His biggest downfall is that he follows the rules of hospitality and of war. His love for Queen Padmaavat is a romance for the ages.

Sultan Alauddin Khilji-The ruler of several kingdoms including Afghanistan and Delhi. He covets all things precious and uses underhanded techniques to get them. He desires Queen Padmaavat, sight unseen, and goes to war to possess her.

Overall Reaction:

I’m going to rate this a 7/10 because of the fake backgrounds being so distracting. I absolutely loved the story though. The comparison between the pure and honorable love between Ratan Singh and Padmaavat, and the lust and greed of Alauddin was obvious. The ending was unexpected and gave me chills.

Until the next time,

Clkytta

Dramas With a Side of Kimchi