Padmaavat

Padmaavat is the 2018 epic historical drama written and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, adapted from the 1540 Sufi narrative poem Padmavat by Malik Muhammad Jayasi. Set in 13th-century Rajputana, the film follows the legendary queen Padmavati of Mewar and the consuming obsession of Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khilji with her beauty and virtue. The entire soundtrack was composed by Bhansali himself, continuing his practice of shaping the sonic identity of his films from within.

At six tracks and roughly twenty-two minutes, the album is the shortest Bhansali had assembled for any of his productions, yet critics and audiences widely regarded it as one of his strongest. The songwriting was divided between lyricist A.M. Turaz, who penned "Ghoomar," "Binte Dil," and "Khalibali," and the duo Siddharth-Garima, who wrote the remaining three songs. The soundtrack spans a striking sonic range: Rajasthani folk melody in "Ghoomar," percussive frenzy in "Khalibali," and the Arabic-Turkish modal languor of "Binte Dil."

The film's path to release was one of the most turbulent in recent Indian cinema history. Fringe groups objected to its premise on grounds of alleged historical insult to Rajput heritage, resulting in attacks on the production and threats against the cast and crew. Legal challenges delayed the film for months until the Supreme Court of India cleared it for release in January 2018. It went on to become one of the year's highest-grossing Indian films and earned Bhansali the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director at the 64th Filmfare Awards.