‘Samrat Prithviraj’ movie review: Disappointing Akshay Kumar stars in dreary period piece

For all of the political encompass sound round  Samrat Prithviraj, the movie comes throughout as a innocent, however dreary interval piece that neither does justice to its supply nor its topic. The Chandraprakash Dwivedi movie seeks to revive cultural nationalism, however doesn’t serve the aim of those that want to reap the previous for a political harvest.

Dwivedi has avoided underlining Prithviraj Chauhan’s (Akshay Kumar) battles with Mohammad Ghori (Manav Vij) as a struggle of civilisations. As an alternative, the director has targeted on the truth that when private turns into political, it has far-reaching penalties.

The troopers of Prithviraj repeatedly invoke Mahadev, however there are not any spiritual struggle cries from the Mohammad Ghori camp. There’s a reference to Mahmud Ghazni’s destruction of Somnath Temple, however Prithviraj shortly separates a person plunderer from a spiritual group. There may be liberal use of the phrase “dharma,” however each Prithviraj and the treacherous Jaichand get to current their thought about it.

The well-meaning strategy however, the big-budget enterprise fails to supply any actual perception into the minds of Prithviraj and Ghori, nor does it reach recreating the spectacular poetry of struggle and valour on the massive display.

The disclaimer says that the movie is predicated on “Prithviraj Raso”, the epic poem composed by Chand Bardai (Sonu Sood), the bard within the court docket of Prithviraj. The poem presents an exaggerated account of Prithviraj’s rule and, through the years, has been extra related for college kids of literature than as a bit of historic proof.

Apparently, Dwivedi’s script is a recension of the textual content that has impressed him. So, there are not any references to 22 battles or skirmishes with Mohammad Ghori, or the climactic verse that labored as a touch for Prithviraj. Curiously, as a substitute of exploring the political motives and maneuvering of Jaichand (Ashutosh Rana), Dwivedi spends lots of time constructing a case for gender equality within the 12 ^th century, maybe to offset the Sati / Jauhar episode within the story.

For these searching for traces of historical past within the screenplay, there isn’t any point out of the final Hindu king’s (the title getting used for Prithviraj in posters) battles with the Chalukyas in Gujarat and Chandelas in Bundelkhand.

After a degree, Dwivedi, who is thought for doing painstaking analysis, appears to be misplaced between balancing historical past, legends, and the present political narrative. He retains invoking the Hindustani sentiment in a narrative set within the 12 ^th century when the nation was divided into kingdoms for whom their self-interest was paramount. Then, in an fascinating dialog, Ghori asks his slave-turned-commander Qutubuddin Aibak whether or not 4 Indians can stand collectively; Aibak says solely once they have to hold the fifth on their shoulder.

Nonetheless, Dwivedi’s eye for element comes throughout in costumes and manufacturing design of forts and palaces, however within the struggle scenes, there may be hardly something that we haven’t seen earlier than within the battlegrounds of Bollywood. There may be hardly any perception into the technique and motivations of the Ghurids, other than a line that meant Hindustanis love their motherland an excessive amount of in order that they need to cheat to win.

The Chanakya director’s pragmatic strategy is available in the best way of the timeless love story between Prithviraj and Samyukta that has been an necessary a part of the oral historical past of North India. With little assist from the music division, it fails to develop on you. Debutante Manushi Chillar isn’t dangerous, however doesn’t have the charisma that the function calls for.

The lilt of Braj, the dialect wherein Chand Bardai wrote, is lacking within the music, dialogues, and accent, and the liberal use of Urdu in conversations sounds jarring.

Akshay Kumar disappoints within the lead function. As a way to tone down his physique language and Punjabi accent, Kumar has misplaced a lot of his trademark vitality and couldn’t develop the gravitas required to play the celebrated ruler. He growls like a lion who has misplaced his chew and regardless of all of the air-brushing, doesn’t seem like the boy who grew to become a Samrat in his 20s. The presence of seasoned supporting actors similar to Rajendra Gupta, Manoj Joshi, Lalit Tiwari, and Ashutosh Rana round him make his limitations all of the extra obvious.

If Akshay is simply too acutely aware, Sanjay Dutt, enjoying a blindfolded regent of Prithviraj, stays oblivious to the interval and retains doing his personal factor, making a jarring impact in court docket scenes. In between, Sonu Sood because the balladeer tries exhausting to say his traces with a straight face and continues to sing for the hero. To start with, Manav brings alive the aura of Ghori, however because the movie progresses he’s additionally lowered to an over-dressed cardboard.

No Chand Bardai can save this Prithvirajl he would require political bandmasters to extol its mediocrity for a while.

Samrat Prithviraj is at the moment working in theatres