Important similarities and differences between Thorin Oakenshield and Alauddin Khilji #richardarmitage

[This is not an endorsement of the film, Padmaavat, which I saw today after reading a review in BMD.  I wanted to see it to see what all the anger was about. It’s immediately obvious why the film would be problematic for its target audiences and I get it now — so here’s a more informed review. I’m posting this because I got drawn into thinking about the many visual similarities between Thorin and Alauddin. Also, I wondered if TH: BOTFA would have been a better film had the dwarves used moments of high tension in the script to break out into song and dance. You probably won’t find this amusing unless you’ve seen the film.]

They’ve each got a funny hat

Actually, Alauddin Khilji has several funny hats.

They’ve each got a relentless glare

Although Mr. Thornton had that, too.

They’ve each got a furry coat

Alauddin Khilji looks like Thorin’s fan art

And Ranveer Singh, who plays Alauddin, spends a surprising amount of this film topless.

They each have a curved sword

They each have a friendly sidekick who will do anything for them

Each of them is obsessed with a stone and willing to kill for it

Each has a sketchy relationship with a bird

And each of them is almost undone by a door

This is one of those comparisons that went nowhere, I guess. Other comparisons are possible — they both spend a lot of time screaming and posturing in their weird palace; both of them have large noses and get nose wounds. But I need to get into bed.

Here’s the coolest dance number — although he’s dancing just when he’s about to suffer an assassination attempt:

 

And the film trailer. The version I saw did have English subtitles.

~ by Servetus on February 7, 2018.