It&#39;s not easy to write a balanced review of a film when it has been in the public eye for some months, and for reasons that have little to do with the film and are more about sectarian sentiment.&nbsp; It&#39;s quite obvious which film I am referring to, Padmaavat, which is alleged to Sanjay Leela Bhansali&#39;s magnum opus? &nbsp;

&nbsp;

A section of &lsquo;Rajputs&rsquo; has decided without seeing the film, that it insults their community.&nbsp; Others were either dragged or got into the act. The sundry politicians, the media, sections of the public, not to forget the judiciary all had to do something with the film.

&nbsp;

So at the risk of being trolled by any or all of them, here&#39;s my take on Padmaavat.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;Sans the extreme reactions from sections of the public in the name of Rajputana glory, &lsquo;Padmaavat&rsquo; would have been just another Bhansali extravaganza, complete with his trademark grand sets, opulent costumes and self-indulgent puffery.&nbsp; Frankly, there is nothing special in the film which is not obvious to the lay viewer.&nbsp; Of course, the 3-D experience is the game changer but it depends if you want all that in a movie.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;The film is 163 minutes long, which is quite a stretch given that the current Bollywood trend favours movies that are a crisp 90-100 minutes as has been the Hollywood practice for many years.&nbsp; Padmaavat lacks the popular &quot;three-act play&quot; touch, meaning there are at least two to three turning points in the film that keep the viewers engaged. Typically, the first 50 minutes of the film will tell you where the story is going and the possible end.&nbsp; But Padmaavat stretches that, going on and on about Rajput valour for nearly three hours.&nbsp; Sound, spectacle and impassioned dialogue about honour and chivalry among Rajputs cannot sustain for long.&nbsp; In fact, it&#39;s boring.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;The film has nothing against Rajput &quot;Aan Baan aur Shaan&quot;.&nbsp; It is just about principally obsessed Rajputs, their refusal to compromise on honour or the rules of war, and their readiness to die for that. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;An unpredictable performer Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji wins your heart.&nbsp; He is a screen stopper.&nbsp; Deepika Padukone has done justice to the character of Padmavati.&nbsp; Her eyes convey the full gamut of emotions.&nbsp; Shahid Kapoor as the Rajput king Ratan Singh also leaves his mark.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;Which brings me back to the controversy surrounding the film.&nbsp; What on earth was the hue and cry all about?&nbsp; If anybody, it&#39;s the film producers and distributors who may have benefited from the protests and outright vandalism in the streets.&nbsp; Padmaavat reportedly cost Rs.200 crore to make, that money may well return with a handsome bonus.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;The film releases on January 25th.&nbsp; Theatres in many cities have reported full houses. But don&rsquo;t worry if you haven&#39;t yet managed a ticket.&nbsp; Wait a few days for reviews from the public, believe me, you may not have a problem with tickets thereafter. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

M rating: 2.5 stars out of 5.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sans the extreme reactions from sections of the public in the name of Rajputana glory, ‘Padmaavat’ would have been just another Bhansali extravaganza.

It's not easy to write a balanced review of a film when it has been in the public eye for some months, and for reasons that have little to do with the film and are more about sectarian sentiment. It's quite obvious which film I am referring to, Padmaavat, which is alleged to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus? A section of ‘Rajputs’ has decided without seeing the film, that it insults their community. Others were either dragged or got into the act. The sundry politicians, the media, sections of the public, not to forget the judiciary all had to do something with the film. So at the risk of being trolled by any or all of them, here's my take on Padmaavat. Sans the extreme reactions from sections of the public in the name of Rajputana glory, ‘Padmaavat’ would have been just another Bhansali extravaganza, complete with his trademark grand sets, opulent costumes and self-indulgent puffery. Frankly, there is nothing special in the film which is not obvious to the lay viewer. Of course, the 3-D experience is the game changer but it depends if you want all that in a movie. The film is 163 minutes long, which is quite a stretch given that the current Bollywood trend favours movies that are a crisp 90-100 minutes as has been the Hollywood practice for many years. Padmaavat lacks the popular "three-act play" touch, meaning there are at least two to three turning points in the film that keep the viewers engaged. Typically, the first 50 minutes of the film will tell you where the story is going and the possible end. But Padmaavat stretches that, going on and on about Rajput valour for nearly three hours. Sound, spectacle and impassioned dialogue about honour and chivalry among Rajputs cannot sustain for long. In fact, it's boring. The film has nothing against Rajput "Aan Baan aur Shaan". It is just about principally obsessed Rajputs, their refusal to compromise on honour or the rules of war, and their readiness to die for that. An unpredictable performer Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji wins your heart. He is a screen stopper. Deepika Padukone has done justice to the character of Padmavati. Her eyes convey the full gamut of emotions. Shahid Kapoor as the Rajput king Ratan Singh also leaves his mark. Which brings me back to the controversy surrounding the film. What on earth was the hue and cry all about? If anybody, it's the film producers and distributors who may have benefited from the protests and outright vandalism in the streets. Padmaavat reportedly cost Rs.200 crore to make, that money may well return with a handsome bonus. The film releases on January 25th. Theatres in many cities have reported full houses. But don’t worry if you haven't yet managed a ticket. Wait a few days for reviews from the public, believe me, you may not have a problem with tickets thereafter. M rating: 2.5 stars out of 5. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: There is nothing in Padmaavat to evoke violent protests

For the first time, Indian Union Budget was presented twice, back-to-back! First on the floor of the Parliament by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and, again, by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, off the floor of the House! &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Reason? India is perhaps one of the very few countries where well before the budget is presented it is waited and celebrated like a national festival.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Such is the hype of the Budget that it becomes a major tool for the ruling party to woo the public in which it sees prospective voters, particularly when elections are around the corner. Budget 2018 of Team Modi-Jaitley is no different as it contains all the elements of reaching out to the public by benefitting them, but without compromising on development and fiscal discipline reforms. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Agriculture and farmers are the central themes of Budget 2018. Ensuring minimum support price (MSP) of the grains 1.5 times over the agriculture cost is a welcoming step towards de-stressing the cause and concerns of already stressed Indian farmers. But the real challenge will be encountered when it comes to deriving the exact cost incurred by the farmer and implementing the government&rsquo;s guarantee of MSP. So, the real test result of this announcement is a thing of mid to long term. However, in the short-term, BJP can expect a greater support from the farmers in the approaching states assembly and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The salaried class, who are the prospective readers of this piece, will be happy to note a 40K standard deduction in the tax structure. In the absence of 10 per cent slab in the income tax calculation, a major chunk of tax-payers will fall down to 5 per cent tax-slab from their existing 20 per cent slab - a great relief. But at the same time, the existing conveyance allowance and the medical bill reimbursement facilities extended to the salaried employees will be lifted.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

An additional 1 per cent cess will also add up to the increased level of tax liabilities. The revenue loss to the government due to the offering of standard deduction will be to the tune of 8K crore. The government will try to make up this revenue loss from the newly introduced long-term capital gain tax on equity trading.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Union budget showed concern for its senior citizens, particularly their health. Senior citizens are now allowed Rs. 50,000 deduction on health insurance premium rather than the existing deduction of Rs. 30,000. It reflects government&rsquo;s vision for a healthier and energetic India.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In his budget speech while pitching big for health sector Arun Jaitley also announced a flagship health programme. The &lsquo;National Health Protection Scheme&rsquo; on the &lsquo;Ayushman Bharat Programme&rsquo; proposes to cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families, by making Rs 5 lakh available per family per year for secondary and tertiary care.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

He also announced the development of 1.5 lakh healthcare centres to boost the overall health of the common man. Government&rsquo;s plan to open one medical college for every three Lok Sabha constituency is another welcoming move provided it gets implemented in time and run professionally with well-educated and experienced doctors.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In totality, the Union Budget of 2018 can be termed as a fine balance between populist majors to woo voters and meeting the developing and job creation agenda of the government. Team Modi-Jaitely has managed it well in balancing populist demands, the need to support economic growth and Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s focus on fiscal discipline and reforms. &nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Budget 2018 of Team Modi-Jaitley contains all the elements of reaching out to the public by benefitting them, but without compromising on development and fiscal reforms.

For the first time, Indian Union Budget was presented twice, back-to-back! First on the floor of the Parliament by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and, again, by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, off the floor of the House! Reason? India is perhaps one of the very few countries where well before the budget is presented it is waited and celebrated like a national festival. Such is the hype of the Budget that it becomes a major tool for the ruling party to woo the public in which it sees prospective voters, particularly when elections are around the corner. Budget 2018 of Team Modi-Jaitley is no different as it contains all the elements of reaching out to the public by benefitting them, but without compromising on development and fiscal discipline reforms. Agriculture and farmers are the central themes of Budget 2018. Ensuring minimum support price (MSP) of the grains 1.5 times over the agriculture cost is a welcoming step towards de-stressing the cause and concerns of already stressed Indian farmers. But the real challenge will be encountered when it comes to deriving the exact cost incurred by the farmer and implementing the government’s guarantee of MSP. So, the real test result of this announcement is a thing of mid to long term. However, in the short-term, BJP can expect a greater support from the farmers in the approaching states assembly and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The salaried class, who are the prospective readers of this piece, will be happy to note a 40K standard deduction in the tax structure. In the absence of 10 per cent slab in the income tax calculation, a major chunk of tax-payers will fall down to 5 per cent tax-slab from their existing 20 per cent slab - a great relief. But at the same time, the existing conveyance allowance and the medical bill reimbursement facilities extended to the salaried employees will be lifted. An additional 1 per cent cess will also add up to the increased level of tax liabilities. The revenue loss to the government due to the offering of standard deduction will be to the tune of 8K crore. The government will try to make up this revenue loss from the newly introduced long-term capital gain tax on equity trading. The Union budget showed concern for its senior citizens, particularly their health. Senior citizens are now allowed Rs. 50,000 deduction on health insurance premium rather than the existing deduction of Rs. 30,000. It reflects government’s vision for a healthier and energetic India. In his budget speech while pitching big for health sector Arun Jaitley also announced a flagship health programme. The ‘National Health Protection Scheme’ on the ‘Ayushman Bharat Programme’ proposes to cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families, by making Rs 5 lakh available per family per year for secondary and tertiary care. He also announced the development of 1.5 lakh healthcare centres to boost the overall health of the common man. Government’s plan to open one medical college for every three Lok Sabha constituency is another welcoming move provided it gets implemented in time and run professionally with well-educated and experienced doctors. In totality, the Union Budget of 2018 can be termed as a fine balance between populist majors to woo voters and meeting the developing and job creation agenda of the government. Team Modi-Jaitely has managed it well in balancing populist demands, the need to support economic growth and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's focus on fiscal discipline and reforms. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Balance between populist demands and economic growth marks Union Budget 2018

Author

Zee News Rajasthan

Editor

Harsh Ranjan

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