Samrat Prithviraj (2022) :
Movie Review -
Historical grandeur in Bollywood is always recognised by Mughal-E-Azam, and deservingly so. K Asif's historical epic isn't just the biggest historical drama ever made in India, but also the best one. Tamil and Telugu cinema got their best with "Maya Bazaar" (1957), and Malayalam cinema got their best with "Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha" (1989). Hollywood began too early with Biblicals, but then William Wyler's "Ben-Hur" (1959) put an end to imagination with its unthinkable grandeur. Interestingly, these three grandeur came in the same period, and the bar was set forever. All they left for others was to match half of their legacy or somewhat more, but never to come close. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been making historical films on a grand scale, but is unable to find an answer. Recently, Om Raut came up with "Tanhaji" and showed the power of cinematic vision just like what SS Rajamouli did with the fictional tales of Bahubali. But aren't we going somewhere with this? Or are we finding anything legendary? The answer is no. Perhaps it's hard for today's filmmakers to put so much effort into the project and have an extraordinary vision like DW Griffith, William Wyler, Cecile De Mille, K Asif, Mehboob Khan and KV Reddy. All they could do is present a good, watchable film with the help of technical and VFX brilliance. Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi, who gave us the hard-hitting Chanakya, has come up with a Hindu Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan's story, but the writer in him has fared better than the director. Samrat Prithviraj has an excellent story that can pump you up any day. It's even better than Bahubali, but just the writing isn't enough. You need to showcase the great writing in great storytelling. Then only will it fit the bill. Samrat Prithviraj has failed to find that template to fit into. The glorious tale of Samrat Prithviraj has got the grandeur, thanks to YRF's production value, but hasn't fared well with storytelling.
The film is based on the life of Hindu King Prithviraj Chauhan (Akshay Kumar), his life, love story with Sanyogita (Manushi Chhillar), his kingdom, and his valour. He has a friend, Chand Bardai (Sonu Sood), who can see the future and is always by his side. His uncle, Kaka Kanha (Sanjay Dutt), is one of his most loyal commanders out of his hundreds of brave samants. As we know from history, Muhammad Ghori (Manav Vij) lost the Battle of Tarain (1191) and then tried to regain the lost glory in 1192. Based on Chand Bardai's "Prithviraj Raso", the writing of Samrat Prithviraj is truly fantastic. There are so many scenes that would make you feel proud, teach you about respecting women, and about undying patriotism. The screenplay too has some great scenes involved, but it isn't flawless. There are literally glitches that you notice with just one eye, while the dramatic errors take away all the fun of filmy elements.
Talking about acting, Akshay Kumar has done a decent job in the lead role of Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan. His voice doesn't come out as he or the director wanted in some scenes, but the rest of the time his dialogue delivery and expressions seem fine. Manushi Chillar looks promising in her debut, but the big impact is missing. Her dancing skills, expressions, and beauty are commendable and can be explored in better ways in the future. One of the most impactful performances in the film comes from Sonu Sood. He is very good as Chand Bardai, be it looks, accent, expressions, or confident body language. Then comes Sanjay Dutt to spoil things in his immaturely loud and irritating role of Kaka Kanha. He has such a bad dialogue delivery. In the supporting roles, Manav Vij, Ashutosh Rana, Sakshi Tanwar, Lalit Tiwari and Ajay Chakraborty are average to decent.
The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will take you back to the 12th Century. The tones are such, but is it timely for 2022's viewing? Theoretically, it is right because the film is set in a certain period, but cinematically it loses its novelty to outdated compositions. Aarif Sheikh's editing lacks the crisp factor, and the VFX are terrible in a few scenes. However, the action scenes are well shot and the visual effects in those scenes are very good. The background score is massy, jingoistic, and lovable; it's just the editing that fails to analyse the right places for it. The biggest letdown in Samrat Prithviraj is director Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi. It seems that he hasn't come out of his TV serial vision. The film seems so episodic, repetitive and scattered into pieces that you feel like you are watching an 80s drama in 2022. I had the same complaint when I saw his Pinjar (2003) - such a great story but so stretched like a daily soap. His writing skills are unquestionable, but his direction skills are definitely questionable. Mohalla Assi was so dragged. So is Samrat Prithviraj. The masses may not catch the cinematic mistakes while they are busy enjoying the grandeur and glory of Prithviraj, but on repeat viewing they will find out the loops for sure.
Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan's story is so big, so massive, but Dwivedi failed to understand the potential of his own writing when he was in that director's chair. This story could have been taken to such a level that even Bahubali would feel humiliated, but all it offers is strictly an average viewing experience. As a whole, team Samrat Prithviraj puts a lot of effort into filmmaking, but unfortunately at the wrong place. Watch it only to know the glorious story of Hindu Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan, not for the cinematic experience.
RATING - 5/10*
Historical grandeur in Bollywood is always recognised by Mughal-E-Azam, and deservingly so. K Asif's historical epic isn't just the biggest historical drama ever made in India, but also the best one. Tamil and Telugu cinema got their best with "Maya Bazaar" (1957), and Malayalam cinema got their best with "Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha" (1989). Hollywood began too early with Biblicals, but then William Wyler's "Ben-Hur" (1959) put an end to imagination with its unthinkable grandeur. Interestingly, these three grandeur came in the same period, and the bar was set forever. All they left for others was to match half of their legacy or somewhat more, but never to come close. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been making historical films on a grand scale, but is unable to find an answer. Recently, Om Raut came up with "Tanhaji" and showed the power of cinematic vision just like what SS Rajamouli did with the fictional tales of Bahubali. But aren't we going somewhere with this? Or are we finding anything legendary? The answer is no. Perhaps it's hard for today's filmmakers to put so much effort into the project and have an extraordinary vision like DW Griffith, William Wyler, Cecile De Mille, K Asif, Mehboob Khan and KV Reddy. All they could do is present a good, watchable film with the help of technical and VFX brilliance. Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi, who gave us the hard-hitting Chanakya, has come up with a Hindu Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan's story, but the writer in him has fared better than the director. Samrat Prithviraj has an excellent story that can pump you up any day. It's even better than Bahubali, but just the writing isn't enough. You need to showcase the great writing in great storytelling. Then only will it fit the bill. Samrat Prithviraj has failed to find that template to fit into. The glorious tale of Samrat Prithviraj has got the grandeur, thanks to YRF's production value, but hasn't fared well with storytelling.
The film is based on the life of Hindu King Prithviraj Chauhan (Akshay Kumar), his life, love story with Sanyogita (Manushi Chhillar), his kingdom, and his valour. He has a friend, Chand Bardai (Sonu Sood), who can see the future and is always by his side. His uncle, Kaka Kanha (Sanjay Dutt), is one of his most loyal commanders out of his hundreds of brave samants. As we know from history, Muhammad Ghori (Manav Vij) lost the Battle of Tarain (1191) and then tried to regain the lost glory in 1192. Based on Chand Bardai's "Prithviraj Raso", the writing of Samrat Prithviraj is truly fantastic. There are so many scenes that would make you feel proud, teach you about respecting women, and about undying patriotism. The screenplay too has some great scenes involved, but it isn't flawless. There are literally glitches that you notice with just one eye, while the dramatic errors take away all the fun of filmy elements.
Talking about acting, Akshay Kumar has done a decent job in the lead role of Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan. His voice doesn't come out as he or the director wanted in some scenes, but the rest of the time his dialogue delivery and expressions seem fine. Manushi Chillar looks promising in her debut, but the big impact is missing. Her dancing skills, expressions, and beauty are commendable and can be explored in better ways in the future. One of the most impactful performances in the film comes from Sonu Sood. He is very good as Chand Bardai, be it looks, accent, expressions, or confident body language. Then comes Sanjay Dutt to spoil things in his immaturely loud and irritating role of Kaka Kanha. He has such a bad dialogue delivery. In the supporting roles, Manav Vij, Ashutosh Rana, Sakshi Tanwar, Lalit Tiwari and Ajay Chakraborty are average to decent.
The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will take you back to the 12th Century. The tones are such, but is it timely for 2022's viewing? Theoretically, it is right because the film is set in a certain period, but cinematically it loses its novelty to outdated compositions. Aarif Sheikh's editing lacks the crisp factor, and the VFX are terrible in a few scenes. However, the action scenes are well shot and the visual effects in those scenes are very good. The background score is massy, jingoistic, and lovable; it's just the editing that fails to analyse the right places for it. The biggest letdown in Samrat Prithviraj is director Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi. It seems that he hasn't come out of his TV serial vision. The film seems so episodic, repetitive and scattered into pieces that you feel like you are watching an 80s drama in 2022. I had the same complaint when I saw his Pinjar (2003) - such a great story but so stretched like a daily soap. His writing skills are unquestionable, but his direction skills are definitely questionable. Mohalla Assi was so dragged. So is Samrat Prithviraj. The masses may not catch the cinematic mistakes while they are busy enjoying the grandeur and glory of Prithviraj, but on repeat viewing they will find out the loops for sure.
Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan's story is so big, so massive, but Dwivedi failed to understand the potential of his own writing when he was in that director's chair. This story could have been taken to such a level that even Bahubali would feel humiliated, but all it offers is strictly an average viewing experience. As a whole, team Samrat Prithviraj puts a lot of effort into filmmaking, but unfortunately at the wrong place. Watch it only to know the glorious story of Hindu Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan, not for the cinematic experience.
RATING - 5/10*