Prithviraj

Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi's film seeks to revive cultural nationalism, but doesn't serve the purpose of those who wish to reap the past for a ...

Interestingly, Dwivedi’s script is a recension of the text that has inspired him. In between, Sonu Sood as the balladeer tries hard to say his lines with a straight face and continues to sing for the hero. Debutante Manushi Chillar is not bad, but doesn’t have the charisma that the role demands. Dwivedi has refrained from underlining Prithviraj Chauhan’s (Akshay Kumar) battles with Mohammad Ghori (Manav Vij) as a war of civilisations. The soldiers of Prithviraj repeatedly invoke Mahadev, but there are no religious war cries from the Mohammad Ghori camp. For all the political surround sound around Samrat Prithviraj, the film comes across as a harmless, but dreary period piece that neither does justice to its source nor its subject.

The historical epic is produced by Aditya Chopra's Yash Raj Films.

Saturday numbers of Samrat Prithviraj will give an idea about where the film is headed as far as box office is concerned. There is a chance of it breaching Rs. 11 cr nett at the box office at smaller centres because the film is doing relatively well in those towns. The film opened to a lukewarm reception at the box office as it recorded a very poor opening, despite the many factors that were in favour of the historical epic to perform better on its first day.

Directed by Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, Samrat Prithviraj stars Akshay Kumar in the titular role of the celebrated 12th-century king.

It tries to equip Sanyogita, the princess of Kannauj, and later the wife and reigning queen of Ajmer and Delhi, with her own distinct voice. It is difficult to not draw comparisons since the maverick maestro made a film on an effervescent Rajput warrior queen only four years ago, stirring up a storm of controversies and success. It aired on Star Plus from 2006 to 2009, making child-actor Rajat Tokas, who played Chauhan with incredible spunk and spirit, a household star. However, this time around, the Karni Sena has made peace with a lot less. The main focus always is on Chauhan, his charisma, his towering greatness, his demi-godly goodness. Sure, he brings in star power and has secured governmental support and tax exemptions few other actors could have as easily, but he is still horribly miscast. He doesn’t look his age at all; he is incredibly fit and agile. Well. Based on Prithviraj Raso, an epic poem written in the praise of Chauhan’s valour and extraordinary life, Samrat Prithviraj focuses on the key moments of the emperor’s eventful reign — the first battle of Tarain in which he defeats Muhammad Ghori and makes the fatal mistake of letting him go, his coronation as the ruler of Delhi, his controversial union with Sanyogita, and the final battle with Ghori, resulting in his capture and assassination. Then there is the legendary friendship between Chauhan and his court poet, prophesier, and closest confidant Chand Bardai, played by a terrific Sonu Sood. The film offers rare, golden glimpses of their unshakable bond. It is absent. In telling the story of one of the most loved Indian rulers, Samrat Prithviraj gets a lot right. Produced by Aditya Chopra under his banner Yash Raj Films, Samrat Prithviraj has already been declared tax-free in three BJP-ruled states so far — Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Their chief ministers have hailed the film as glorious.

Manushi Chillar from movie Prithviraj. 5) Grand VFX for a grander experience. VFX is one of the most important aspects of a period film. Every Bollywood film ...

Every Bollywood film has always dialled up the tone when it comes to making the experience grand for such films. Samrat Prithviraj has hit the screens today. The creators of the film reportedly left no stone unturned when it came to getting their facts right. When it comes to period films, accuracy is of prime importance. VFX is one of the most important aspects of a period film. The storyline of the film revolves around the great Rajput ruler Prithviraj Chauhan who brought a lot of pride back in the 12th century with his bravery and valour.

Every recent Akshay Kumar film has been the same but in different outfits. The business strategy of selling nationalism probably needs revision.

That is exactly the issue—the film seeks to counter historical imbalance through lore instead of facts. The scene in the film that tries to exemplify her bravery ends up being a caricature with a dance and a sprinting run to the fire. However, the idea of a woman who dared to defy her father and fall in love with his enemy, while being bound by patriarchy, is always a good story to stress on. That is still the most entertaining and high-octane dramatic moment of Samrat Prithviraj. The glaring age difference between her and Akshay is too in-your-face to look beyond. What Samrat Prithviraj ends up highlighting is that invasion of India was only possible due to a lack of unity among its rulers.

Akshay Kumar as Prithviraj Chauhan in 'Samrat Prithviraj' is only going to make sense to Akshay fans. Also, the film has so much going on, some good, ...

The music is brilliant, and the script was clearly written after research. Something that is a terrifying account of how women often face violence in times of war became something…else. I am trying to put it into words but the dance sequence really threw me off. There is an actual music and dance sequence (I know…) before the jauhar scene. The fight sequences seemed like I was watching someone play a bootleg version of Grand Theft Auto (GTA: Ajmer perhaps). So much male chest-thumping, I am TIRED. Kudos to the horses and elephants though, they truly did their best. The sets are great but literally nobody seemed to remember that ‘colour’ is really important for a visual scene too. Also it almost feels like beating a dead horse to talk about the age gap in Bollywood but can we really not even cast actors the age of the film’s subjects?