Keeping their promise to fans, stars of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati -- Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh -- unveiled the first trailer of their period saga exactly at 13:03 on Monday. For those who came in late 1303 was when the eight-month long siege of Chittor by Sultan Alauddin Khilji took place. While Karan Johar said the Padmavati trailer was filled with “breathtaking and magnificent visuals”, Hrithik Roshan lauded his “unrivalled potential”. However, on one point the fraternity was unanimous: the trailer was “epic, epic, epic”. The result was Padmavati trailer becoming the top trend almost immediately.
In the much awaited, much discussed film, Ranveer plays Alauddin Khilji and Shahid essays the role of Maharawal Ratan Singh. It is Deepika who plays the titular role of Padmavati, a queen so beautiful -- says legend -- that you could see betel juice in her throat when she ate paan. The film also stars Raza Murad and Aditi Rao Hydari.
Watch Padmavati official trailer
The three-minute video opens on a grand canvas showcasing the vast expanse of Chittor’s fort and moves to beautiful, love-filled visuals of Rani Padmavati (Deepika) and Ratan Singh (Shahid). In a particularly remarkable scene, Deepika is seen sewing Shahid’s turban while he has eyes only for her. Ranveer makes a fleeting appearance after a minute into the trailer and he is mostly seen on the battleground. He is perfect as the obsessive and ambitious invader with his flowing tresses and blood-stained face.
Deepika and Shahid, on the other hand, embody the royal finesse of Chittorgarh. While Shahid talks of a Rajput’s courage: “Chinta ko talwar ki nok pe rakhe, wo Rajput. Ret ki naav lekar samandar se shart lagae, wo Rajput. Aur jiska sir kate fir bhi dushman se ladta rahe, wo Rajput,” Deepika says the strength of “Rajputi kangan” is equal to the Rajputi sword.
Padmavati is based on folklore that 14th century ruler Alauddin Khilji fell in love with Padmini, the queen of Chittor. Choosing honour over a life in Delhi, Padmini and the other women of Chittor killed themselves by leaping into a fire – a practice called jauhar.
This is the third time Ranveer and Deepika have worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali after Goliyon ki Rasleela, Ram-Leela and Bajirao Mastani. This is the first time that Shahid is working with Bhansali.
Bhansali earlier directed this timeless tale as an opera in Paris and Rome. In fact, he was the first Indian to direct an opera internationally. His musical venture had debuted at the 51st Spoleto Festival and won a lot of applause. In a statement, the director had earlier said, “I’m overwhelmed by the love the film has received so far. Padmavati is a tribute to our brave Rajput men and women and a story that the entire country will be proud of.”
The shooting of the film saw several roadblocks with several fringe organisations protesting against Bhansali and the movie, under the assumption that Khilji will be seen romancing Padmavati onscreen. Recently, members of the Rajput community held a protest against the film in Karnal (Haryana) demanding a ban on the film’s screening in the state.
The film is slated to hit the theatres on December 1.
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