Padmavati by
Sutapa Basu is a historical non-fiction book which tries to sketch the lost
story of the Rajput Queen of Chittor. Padmavati also known as Padmini has been
remained a hot subject of poets and writers since ages, and lately by Bollywood
film directors.
Despite being
a non-fiction book, this book has the charisma to keep the readers engrossed as
this is such a compelling book which traces the ghosts of history. Readers may
lose the track of time and look forward to finish it in just one go.
Sutapa has
beautifully woven the characters and described the settings with such flawless
detail and clarity that the emotions from that era to now to the readers are
conveyed beautifully, and for this reason readers may feel transported to that
world.
The assumed
protagonist of the book is a journalist Mrinalini Rao, she is on a mission to
discover whether the legendary Padmavati actually existed or was just a legendry
folktale. In her quest, she meets Uma a local village girl at the Chittorgarh
Fort. Uma catches Mrinalini’s attention as she claims passionately that she
knows the true story of the Queen, as she had read Padma-wali, the Queen’s real
story written by the Queen herself! Uma tells that Mrinalini turns her orientation
to her upon knowing that Uma has collected Padma-wali from the ruins of the
palace.
Uma leads
Mrinalini through the fort narrating the tale of Padmavati as she had intended
it to be told. As the tale unfolds, it becomes clear that the queen had her childhood
and adolescent stage spent in Singhaldweep (Sri Lanka) and after marriage she
is brought to Mewar region of desert. This journey gives the readers another
opportunity to get transported from the world of Singhaldweep (Sri Lanka) to
the dry beauty of the Mewar region.
The
intermingled complications and politics of the royal household, the imagery,
the dilemmas of the Queen and her husband Rawal Ratan Singh, the focus on the
virtues of loyalty, consecration and friendship are effortlessly expressed in
the book, event by event.
What does the
movie offer is unknown but clearly, Sutapa Basu’s Padmavati is a captivating
tale about the legendary, charismatic, highly skilled and beautiful Queen of
Chittor. The secrecy holds the attention and the narrative flows easy which
holds the mettle of writing.
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