Queen Kamaladevi and Rani Padmavati

SO I just realized that Aditi has perhaps got the best role possible (apart from role of Khilji that is) in Rani Padmavati.

Now one thing I like about SLB is that he brings out this hidden historian in me. While I may have few issues with his frequent flight of fancies (who has heard of asthmatic and possibly crippled Kashibai dancing with her rival), I have to say this touch of absurdity make his movies much more fun to watch. So when I found out that we are getting one more revamped history lesson (I hear rolling in graves sound), I was pumped. Till I found out it was about Rani Padmavati.

Make no mistake. Rani Padmavati is genuinely nice story. It has all the necessary ingredients required for making successful movie- Pyaar, Tyaag, Vasaana and whatnot. What it also has is formidable Rajput clan protecting it. SLB is going to have Very,Very ,Very tough time toeing the line between his over the top vision and history. It will be out of question for SLB's movie to show Queen Padmavati taking a quick peek at Khilji's abs (however nice they are). Or god forbid to have any hint of gray shades in her or in her relation. So I was breaking my head wondering how SLB would expend his energy (and his creativity).

And it then came to me. Khilji and his wife. So I sat down to read about Kamalabai who was Khilji's main wife. Not much is known about this women. But what I read, made me seriously think about how history treats its females. SO here is a Hindu Queen who married the Muslim ruler who destroyed her house and her family. Perhaps this is first case of relegious inter-marriage.

Kamalabai was married -queen of Gujrat -when Khilji ordered his men to pillage the state and Somnath temple. Her husband and her daughter escaped leaving behind Kamalabai. Now it is not known whether she was actually left behind or whether she made this choice of her own accord to give her husband and daughter a chance to escape. Her action from few years later suggest that she was left behind. She was then captured by Khilji's men who brought her to Delhi where she lived in the harem, did what she had to do to survive, did not allow harem politics to destroy her (Khilji's first wife was always hoping to kill Khilji and hated Kamalabai), changed her religion, married her captor and became his chief begum.

SO we now have this recent (new) mother who missed her 6 month old child, who lost her another daughter(history is not clear on whether there was another daughter who died in the attack), lost her family, her house, who survived god knows what to become a queen again and who would have been usurped by another beauty (Kamalabai was beautiful). But Padmavati committed Jauhar and became immortal while Kamalabai remained another footnote on annals of history. So what went in mind of this tough survivor-

A> Did she hate her new husband?
B> What was her feeling about her old husband who was alive?
C> Did she at any point think about committing Jauhar or some such Gujrati equivalent.
D> Did she meet Padmavati? And what advice did she give her? I mean Padmavati's husband did show Padmavati's face to man who was not exactly known to be discreet about his lust. Did she advice Padmavati to give up before her home is destroyed, Did Kamalabai tell Padmavati about her own experience -that she might fall into Khilji's hand and that Padmavati's husband will run away.

One thing is clear Khilji loved this women. He spent years trying to find the lost daughter and got her back to Delhi. What happened afterwards is another tragedy. But that is a story for another day.

Oh yeah. One thing I did notice was there are some evidences that Khilji was not a complete ass. He did like women, gold and money way too much. He was ambitious, unruly, poor king who got success too soon. But there are very few evidence that he was mass killer like Hitler. His reputation may have been besmirched by his continuous attacks and also by the fact that he killed his own uncle(incidentally who was his FIL) and who also liked burning and looting. Okay may be I will hold on to my judgment about Khilji till I read some more.

So there you have it - Aditi has got a killer role and she better nail it.

Super interesting!! I never knew all this! ARH is very beautiful, some people call her poor man's DP loool, but that's very unfair. Would love to see the chemistry between RS-ARH because I think it's a killer choice to take ARH as the main queen of Khilji!

How else do we know Khilji loved Kamala Bai?

I find Aditi to be very beautiful so she will look great in the costumes. I know SLB will butcher the story though. Hopefully the film won't leave me disappointed like BM.

Khilji was definitely bisexual, and had a very colourful life. Apart from his penchant for stunning women & beardless boys, he was cruel but not as cruel as he's made out to be. I just Googled & it does seem like apart from his general (presumably played by Jim Sarbh) that he was totally in love with, he did also love Kamala Devi who was converted to Islam before she married Khilji. Khilji did try hard to procure her daughter for her but she was never found. Pretty fascinating Kamala is!! Theirs was the first Love Jihaad marriage.

Bajirao Mastani ke tarah iss baar bhi DP title (Padmavati) mein aati hain, movie mein nahi kya?😆

That's very interesting story Megs.
Kamlabai sounds like real woman of substance here !! I wish history treated her better . We only know Jhodha as Hindu wife of Muslim King, no one mentions Kamla !! How unfair .
But given the dept of this story, if SLB shows this, it can eat up 25% of screenplay time. So he will reduce Kamla to be a less beautiful than Padma, jealous and insecure wife of Khilji . Knowing SLB, he can insert a Silsila type of scene between two queens, this time wife pleading her Souten to join the party 😆

Originally posted by: hasini009

Bajirao Mastani ke tarah iss baar bhi DP title (Padmavati) mein aati hain, movie mein nahi kya?😆

If ARH's role is half decent , she will do a Kaashibai on Paddu. Both Kaashi and Kamla have K factor 😉

RR: Honestly ARH isn't a bad actor like she's made out to be. I hope he doesn't fit in 2 dance nos.facing off each other or something or make her jealous or insecure. If he can handle it in a nuanced manner like the Kaashi-Baaji relationship, it'll be the best.

^ ARH is beautiful . Her beauty is so underrated in BW. She could have pulled Padma's role in my opinion.
SLB loves show-offs. My bet is on Sword fight between men and dance show off between women

Wow, didnt know Khiji had a Hindu wife and tht he loved her. Of course she wont be praised in history cause she didnt kill herself instead took another husband . Unfortunately, People of that era used to judge and sham such women.