Let me ask you something
It's simple
the visual medium
Instead of books in which you have to read and imagine the look in the feel of the world yourself
In a film however , someone has already done it for you and that's where the cinematographer comes in
Now this doesn't always mean a good thing because sometimes the world is very magnificent
the other times it's very generic and incomplete.
But you see Cinematography is a very technical field as there will always be some f-stops and light bulbs to adjust
For example this may be a technically perfect frame but cinematography is much more than this
It's an art
A good cinematographer will create visual drama in his frames to go along with the story
Everything, every frame, every angle, every light is chosen to express in great detail a certain idea or emotion
So today we'll look into few of the cinematic decisions Padmaavat made
to fill its world with depth, drama and dynamic.
Hi everyone. I am Akshunn and welcome to this video
Unlike Bhansali's previous film
An epic historical romance tale of 18th century
in which it is difficult to take sides as we understand and care about both of these characters.
Padmaavat instead, creates a fine line between right and wrong from the start.
The story in the most uncomplicated way is about good and evil and that is okay if it's articulated perfectly
Which it isn't !
But, that doesn't mean the movie isn't good looking.
Thanks to Sudeep Chatterjee for his beautiful visuals. Bhansali is able to present his good and evil contrast with utmost sublimity.
Right from the beginning
We are made to perceive these two worlds with contrary characters
While there is a glint of amber in every frame of shador
Khilji's Delhi is painted with black charcoal
In an interview with the director of photography, he said
Another way the movie separates these two
worlds is by using hard light beams to create unnatural atmosphere.
The first time we get a glimpse of these light beams is when Padmaavati meets Raghav Chetan
signifying the corrupt nature of this unholy "guru".
Just as Raghav Chetan becomes successful in plotting Alauddin against Chittor
these unusual light beams become major decor in Khilji palaces and tents
With Alahuddin coming to Chittor the darkness comes with him slowly the two worlds start merging
We first notice it in the background, slowly creeping up towards us as later
The world of Chittor gets completely destroyed, covered with darkness with only a sparse amount of light left.
Also did you notice the symbols of Rajput and Khilji the Sun and the Moon respectively
are used immensely as a device of visual storytelling for example to notify us the intentions of Alauddin Khilji
"The Rajput Sun will soon be eclipsed by Khilji Crescent"
We get a whole lot of shots when we see Khilji literally blocking the Sun. A great visual motif for evil winning over good
That being said Alauddin Khilgi is actually the most interesting character of the movie and not Pdmaavati
One can point towards the over-the-top performance by Ranveer Singh. And yes he's actually pretty good
But unlike Padmaavati and Ratan Singh, his character is well layered
Beyond this obvious evil, we even see the desire and the movie at some point makes us feel sympathetic towards him
His bisexuality also gives us an extra layer
By the way, you did know he was bisexual righ? and that this scene is maybe a metaphor for him sucking his D...
He is a good villain and has multiple similarities with another great villain of Indian cinema
Honestly, I could have made a great video on his character alone
But I've already made a video about Gabbar and his characteristics. You can check it out below in the description
But the way Alauddin is shot
It is much more appealing than Gabbar
The very first thing you notice about him is that he has a strange vibe in his eyes
There is something vicious, ruthless and sometimes even something vulnerable which had a lot to do with the lighting.
His face was also lit in a certain way, for example
In this scene when Alauddin has killed Mehrunissa father to become the great Sultan
Mehrunissa is weak and terrified but still pure, hence well lit
whereas Alauddin is lit with low-angle lights this way his face looks much darker and more evil.
The light flickering is also used in the drama as because of these flickers the frame seems unstable and disturbing
Reflecting upon the disturbing nature of Alauddin. This scene also makes it clear what Alauddin's ultimate desire is ...
Power and wealth as we see him making love not with the princess but with the crown
At the end we get this shot of Mehrunissa representing how Alauddin turned her life upside down.
There are moments in few scenes when the mood
Shifts suddenly for instance take this scene..
When Alauddin talks about the men he lost and his favorite bird
He's actually sad as you can see the gentleness in his eyes
But as he stands up in orders to kidnap Ratan Singh there is a shift in his personality
His eyes are now covered with dark shadows
According to the many scholars who studied the original poem by Malik Muhammad Jayasi
Which is actually a much better story than this one
The scholars said that Alauddin is an allegory for delusion
His fall into this misbelief is shot in this gripping scene
The water reflection is used as a metaphor to represent this Delusion
And with this close-up of his perfectly lit face as if he is already feeling this ultimate desire
One look in his eyes filled with strong ambition, and we know that he won't stop at anything
and he doesn't
These little things go a long way for the aesthetics of a film and it shows the cinematographer's imagination to express such abstract ideas
Well, I could have talked about many other things, but I think you understand the point
If you do, please like and comment your opinion and share. Share this video as much as you can
So the people like you who love movies have a chance of seeing this which will really really help me out to make more videos.
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Well that is it for now, and I'll see you soon
Peace !
