Padmavati is an upcoming 2017 Indian epic period drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, based on the epic poem Padmavat (1540) by Malik Muhammad Jayasi.^[1] The film features Deepika Padukone in the title role as Rani Padmavati, alongside Shahid Kapoor as Rawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji, with Aditi Rao Hydari and Jim Sarbh in supporting roles. The film is scheduled for release on 1 December 2017.^[2][3]

The film is based on the legend of Rani Padmini, a legendary Hindu Rajput queen, mentioned in Padmavat, an Avadhi language epic poem written by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540.^[1] According to Padmavat, she was the wife of Ratan Sen (called Rawal Ratan Singh in later legends), the Rajput ruler of Mewar. In 1303, Alauddin Khilji, the Turkic ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, laid siege to the Chittor Fort in Rajputana. According to Padmavat, Khilji led the invasion motivated by his desire to capture Rani Padmini. Rani Padmini is said to have committed jauhar (self-immolation) along with all the other women of the city to protect their honour. The men of the city stormed out in a final mortal sally to kill as many of the enemy before falling.

• Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmini
• Shahid Kapoor as Rawal Ratan Singh
• Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji
• Aditi Rao Hydari as Mehrunisa^[4]
• Anupriya Goenka as Rani Nagmati^[5]
• Raza Murad as Jalaluddin Khilji^[6]
• Jim Sarbh as Malik Kafur^[7]

Pre-production on the film began in July 2016. That same month, playback singer Shreya Ghoshal tweeted about singing a song composed by Bhansali for the film.^[8] Many media outlets speculated that Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, who played the leads in Bhansali's Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013) and Bajirao Mastani (2015), were finalized to play Alauddin Khilji and Rani Padmini in the film. Their co-star from the previous films, Priyanka Chopra was also in consideration for playing the titular part.^[9] In January 2017, it was reported that Bhansali had approached Chopra for a cameo appearance in the film.^[10] However, in April 2017, Chopra denied her involvement in the film.^[11]

In October 2016, it was announced that Bhansali would team up with Viacom 18 Motion Pictures to produce the film with Singh and Padukone along with Shahid Kapoor as Rawal Ratan Singh, playing the lead roles.^[2]

On 31 October 2017, it was announced that Paramount pictures will be distributing the film over all international territories outside India making this the first Bollywood film to be distributed by the studio.^[12][13] It was announced that Prime Focus Limited will be taking on the task for rendering the 3D format of the film. The CEO of Viacom 18 Motion Pictures Ajit Andhare made the announcement about the film being the biggest Bollywood production and getting the biggest 3D release across India.^[14]

Padmavati is the third collaboration between Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The trio had worked before in Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela (2013) and Bajirao Mastani (2015), while it is Shahid's first film with the three.^[15]

Shahid Kapoor plays Rajput King Maharaja Rawal Ratan Singh. For his role, Kapoor undertook rigorous training under trainer Samir Jaura and followed a strict diet for 40 days. He also learnt sword fighting and the basics of Mardani khel (a weapon based martial art) and admits that it has been one of the most physically and emotionally challenging roles of his career.^[16]

Delhi based Rimple and Harpreet Narula designed Rani Padmini’s costume using traditional zardozi. The border, has been derived from the architectural details of Rajasthani palace windows and jharokhas and the odhnis have been styled in conventional ways which are still prevalent in the Mewar belt of Rajasthan.^[17] The designer duo elaborated that the costume worn by Deepika Padukone in the final scene of the film features the tree of life motif and twisted gota embroidery and has a Kota dupatta with block printing. Padukone's dresses were made with Sinhalese influences, as the character of Padmavati hailed from Sri Lanka. The costumes for Shahid Kapoor were made from mulmul and cotton and special emphasis was given for preparing the turbans one of which featured a 28-dye lehariya, which was inspired from a turban that is placed in The Victoria and Albert Museum in London.^[18] The clothes for Ranveer Singh were based on travellers' accounts on the Turkic and Persian influences on the Indian clothing (Khilji was of Turkic origin).^[19]

It took 200 craftsmen who spent 600 days molding 400 kgs of gold for Padukone’s Rajasthani jewellery.^[20] Padukone's look for the "Ghoomar" song features intricate jewellery weighing up to 3 kilograms designed by Tanishq featuring a triple Borla, Mathapatti and Bajuband which are traditional ornaments worn by the Rajasthani women.

Vipul Amar and Harsheen Arora of Delhi-based design house ‘The V Renaissance’ designed costumes for Rawal Ratan Singh and Alauddin Khilji, employing historical techniques to create the armours such as cuirboilli, sculpting, chiselling, and inlaying.^[21] The armours used to be rested on mannequins and stored in vintage closet trunks and took a team of 40 workers 8 months to prepare.^[22]

The film score is composed by Sanchit Balhara while the songs are composed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. A. M. Turaz and Siddharth-Garima have penned down the lyrics for songs. Shreya Ghoshal has already rendered a song.^[23][24] She will be singing four songs for the film. Deepika Padukone filmed a Ghoomar performance, a traditional Rajasthani folk dance, on a set that replicates the interior of Chittorgarh Fort.^[25][26] The soundtrack will be released by T-Series. The first song "Ghoomar" was released on 25 October 2017.^[27]

The film is scheduled to be released in India on December 1, 2017 in conventional 2D as well as 3D. Paramount will handle the international release across 90 countries.^[28] Sanjay Leela Bhansali file a insurance and make a deal with company of 160Cr in which if the movie is not release because of Militants then entire amount is paid by insurance company.

The film became a subject of numerous controversies even before its release.

The film became a part of controversies with allegations being put that the film is depicting wrong facts where the activists vandalised the sets of the film. However, a sting operation^[29] conducted by an Indian news channel^[30] showed that the activists had planted the controversies in order to extort money from the film makers. The vandalism resulted in broken mirrors installed in the Chittor Fort that were over 40 years old, as said by the Archaeological Survey of India.

In March 2017, while the cast and crew were filming a scene in Masai plateau, Kolhapur at night, a mob of around 20–30 people armed with petrol bombs, stones and lathis charged and ablazed the set hurting animals which were present at the time of the incident and destroying several costumes. The attacks were believed to be staged as certain Rajput groups claimed that the film includes a dream sequence where Padmavati and Alauddin Khilji will be seen in an intimate position, a claim which the team rebuffed being in the film.^[31]

In October 2017, a Rangoli of the first poster released from the film, which reportedly took 48 hours to create, was destroyed by a group of around 100 people shouting religious slogans. Deepika Padukone condemned this action and express her anger on this issue on social media following which action was taken by the police authorities.^[32]

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking a delay in the release of Padmavati because of Gujarat elections and the party wrote to the Election Commission, the Central Board of Film Certification and the Centre seeking to stop the film’s release till the elections. According to the casting couch some love making scenes has been filmed during shooting but after such controversies they are removed from the film.^[33] People's in Rajasthan protest the film release and threat Bhansali that if makers release movie then that day is the end of Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

• Padmavati at IMDb
• Padmavati at Bollywood Hungama
• Padmavati on Facebook