‘Samrat Prithviraj’ is a feminist movie gone wrong. Makers couldn’t hold on to the very essence of the film and burdened it with too many songs. This movie is less about Prithviraj and more about Sanyogita. There is no balance in depicting Prithvi’svalour and him as a person.
After Prithviraj and Sanyogita get married, there is a sudden scene where one will feel that they have landed on the sets of “Suraj Hua Maddham”.
The director tries to maintain a harmony of political instability at Rajputana during that period and in the process, he fails to show the personal grudges that took political turns and how it affected an entire civilization. He tried to keep things simple and focus on the cultural context of the period to inbuilt a sense of nationalism in the audience but failed miserably. The audience doesn’t get to see a glance of Prithviraj Chauhan’svalour fighting with Muhammad Ghori and Ghoriis depicted as an extremely cold person. The barbaric side of Ghoriis never shown. Even Muhammad Ghori’s army is depicted as an extremely cold tribe without any war cries. The intensity of the battles is missing.
The disclaimer says that the film is based on PrithvirajRaso, the epic poem composed by Chand Bardai, that is more of a literary piece and less of a historical account. Chand Bardai is played by Sonu Sood who sings praises of Prithviraj.
Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi makes it more about feminism and gender equality in the 12th century. Sanyogita’s mother is a strong feminist woman who preaches to her about her dharma as the princess but doesn’t fail to advise her carefully on how to follow her passion. Sanyogita’sjauhar breaks the ideology of gender equality but her dressing up as a warrior shows female prowess.
Akshay Kumar disappoints as the lead character. However, Manushi Chhillar pulls it off as much as she could and looks royal throughout. The glamour quotient is maintained always.
The director has maintained the detailing of the sets and the beautiful costumes. He has carefully chosen every little thing of the extravagant yet simple sets.
‘Samrat Prithviraj’ is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Rating: 2/5
