His menacing eyes, strong demeanor, unkempt hair and the craziness in his eyes, all made for a perfect villain. Ranveer Singh has only done 10 Hindi films as a lead actor so far and while not all of them were stand-out performances, he made sure that the audience came back to watch him. Ranveer has constantly experimented with the characters he has taken up over and over again.
Ranveer is a director’s dream. In Bhansali, he submits himself as the clay that is molded as an Alauddin Khilji who will be remembered for years. Ranveer gives a work of art defining performance in Padmaavat; he is the reason why this film is more than just a visually-grand spectacle.
With Band Baaja Baaraat’s Bittoo, he made us believe that he was actually a North Indian guy studying at Delhi University. And with Bajirao Mastani’s Peshwa, we believed that he was from the same region as the character. Actors are normally praised for being natural in a film. There are very few who aren’t afraid of taking chances early on in their career and it is usually only those who enjoy a long fulfilling career, Ranveer is one of those rare few.
Alauddin Khilji, the barbarian, has not one redeeming quality in him. Every scene helps widen the chasm between the good and the bad. Every frame backs Bhansali’s claim that Padmaavat is his tribute to the valor and pride of the Rajputs. It’s only Khilji’s character that is detailed enough to grasp you with its uni “black” shade dulling the goodness of both Padmavati and Rawal Singh.
The film only and only belongs to Ranveer Singh. For him to play it without any reservations is quite commendable and he delivers a performance of a lifetime. He still has miles to go in his career but it’ll take a while for him to top this performance. Singh digs into the role, relishes and savors the raging, explosive madness of Khilji and comes out as one of the most memorable villains ever.
His eccentric moves and dialogue delivery make him an ever-ideal fit for Khilji. As a menacing ruler, who is atrociously self-consumed with the idea of victory and becoming the Sultan and gaining possession of all things exquisite, Khilji’s depiction might raise some eyebrows but as far as performance goes, no one could have done it better than him.
Overall, his performance and the film is a luxuriously-mounted and visually resplendent work of art that holds and sustains everyone’s attention for the most part of its 2 hours 30-minutes running time.