Samrat Prithviraj Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating
SAMRAT PRITHVIRAJ is the story of a brave king. In the late 12th century, Prithviraj Chauhan (Akshay Kumar) is the king of Ajmer. He's known for his bravery and kindness. One day, Mir Hussein (Anshuman Singh) arrives at his doorstep and asks for his help. He is the brother of Mohammed Ghori (Manav Vij), the ruthless king of Ghazni. Mir Hussein fell in love with Chitralekha (Radha Bhatt), the mistress of Mohammed Ghori and eloped with her. Mohammed Ghori now wants to kill Mir Hussein. Hence Mir Hussein asks for Prithviraj Chauhan's help. Prithviraj Chauhan decides to help him, even if that means facing Mohammed Ghori on the battlefield. The war takes place at Tarain where Prithviraj Chauhan emerges victorious. Mohammed Ghori is caught but Prithviraj Chauhan sets him free. Meanwhile, Prithviraj Chauhan falls in love with Sanyogita (Manushi Chhillar), the princess of Kannauj. She too falls for him though both have never met each other. However, they write letters and send gifts to each other and that's where love happens. Sanyogita's father, Jaichand (Ashutosh Rana) is jealous of Prithviraj Chauhan. He feels he's the rightful heir to the throne of Delhi. However, Prithviraj Chauhan is elected to sit on the throne. Jaichand then organizes a yagna and Sanyogita's swayamvar. The invitation is given to all the kings but not to Prithviraj Chauhan. Yet, Prithviraj Chauhan arrives at Kannauj and he elopes with Sanyogita. A humiliated Jaichand decides to seek revenge. He sends an invitation to Mohammed Ghori and asks him to help him defeat Prithviraj Chauhan. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
SAMRAT PRITHVIRAJ is based on Prithviraj Raso, written by Chand Vardai. The story is powerful and inspiring. Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi's screenplay is decent. He has incorporated some very entertaining and dramatic scenes. Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi's dialogues are weak.
Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi's direction is fine. He has handled the grandeur very well and a few scenes are executed exceptionally. It is evident that he has given his all to this project. However, a few developments give a déjà vu of films like BAJIRAO MASTANI [2015], PADMAAVAT [2018], PANIPAT [2019] etc. The pacing is neat but, in a few places, the narrative moves quite swiftly. This is especially in the second half, where the second battle of Tarain is just not shown and it hampers the impact.
SAMRAT PRITHVIRAJ starts on an intriguing note. The entry of Akshay Kumar will leave you stunned. The first battle of Tarain is clapworthy. The film then drops and picks up beautifully during the intermission point. In the second half, the sequence where Prithviraj Chauhan asks Sanyogita to sit next to her in the durbar is arresting. The climax is truly applause worthy.
Home Minister Amit Shah is all praises for Samrat Prithviraj starring Akshay Kumar and Manushi Chhillar
Akshay Kumar looks quite dashing and his performance in the Ghazni portions is great. In the rest of the scenes, his performance is subdued yet impactful. Manushi Chhillar makes a confident debut. She looks stunning and delivers a decent performance. Sonu Sood (Chand Vardai) is excellent in a supporting role. Sanjay Dutt (Kaka) gets to play an interesting character but it turns out to be a caricature. Manav Vij is superb as the antagonist. Ashutosh Rana is dependable. Sakshi Tanwar (Jaichand’s wife) is okay. Manoj Joshi leaves a mark in a cameo. Anshuman Singh and Radha Bhatt get no scope.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music fails to entice. Also, there are far too many songs in the movie. 'Hari Har' is the only song that stands out. It adds to the exhilaration and is quite catchy. 'Hadd Kar De' and 'Yoddha' have been shot very well. 'Makhmali' is nothing special. Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara's background score has a cinematic feel.
Manushnandan's cinematography is top-class. Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray's production design is detailed and realistic. Franz Spillhaus and Parvez Sheikh's action is sans any gore and contributes to the entertainment factor. Sanjeev Rajsingh Parmar's costumes are royal and authentic. yfx's VFX matches global standards. Aarif Sheikh's editing is neat but too quick in the second half.
On the whole, SAMRAT PRITHVIRAJ is an inspiring and entertaining saga of one of the greatest kings of Indian history. At the box office, its business will escalate from Day 2 onwards and has the potential to put up impressive numbers.
