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Bajirao Mastani:
After the two disappointing films viz Ramleela and Sanwariya from Sanjay Leela Bhansali, I was more than intrigued by the thematic choice of his next historical drama, Bajirao Mastani. The genre is always difficult, as so many things can go wrong, but Sanjay Leela Bhansali seems to have done more rights than wrongs in this film!
The story is a slice of the period where the Peshwas' clout was on the ascendency, the edifice of the Mughal empire was crumbling and the John Company was expanding the concessions it had already obtained. To catch the flavours of this complex period in Indian history would have been tough, but with great finesse, SLB got it right!
The film is about the warrior hero and lover Peshwa Bajirao. The earthy, enigmatic soldier, who is a virtual live-wire, comes across as an entirely intriguing, mesmerising and loveable character. He fights his wars with passion, he loves his wife, who he also respects as a friend, with greater passion and falls for the charming prize catch from Bundelkhand, Mastani, with fervour even he hadn't experienced before. His vulnerabilities are exploited fully by SLB as he's pitted against all those he loves in the battle to accord respectability to Mastani!
For a period drama, the costumes, the sets, the idiom, the nuanced cultural details are important and they all fall in place, virtually from the word GO! As a typical SLB film it is aesthetically sublime! The Art direction, the colour palette, the music just transport you back in history. You seem to be witnessing the unfolding of life in a Royal Brahminical order first hand. With the right Marathi accents, the movie is assuredly authentic in its flavours!
Three characters stand out in the movie and they are Ranvir Singh, Priyanka Chopra and Tanvi Azmi....and in that order. If ever a star was born to rule Bollywood by getting under the skin of the character that he happens to portray, it is Ranvir Singh! As Bajirao he does full justice to the role! The guy has incredible energy, enjoys what he is doing and lives upto the role assigned to him, whether it is in terms of the Warrior's physique, or his emotions or the portrayal of a tough negotiator with the kingdoms he demolishes, his spunk,his charm, in every which way, he is par excellence! At the cost of repetition I would say, he was born to rule Bollywood!
PC is the surprise element here! With Deepika playing Mastani, I didn't think PC would have any scope to do much in the movie! But it's PC, playing the loving wife Kashi, who steals your heart! Whether it is as a seductress or as an innocent daughter-in-law, who jumps into the lap of her mother-in-law, or as a grieving reject, she does it with aplomb. Tanvi Azmi, the white wearing, tonsured, widowed mother of Bajirao is impressive in the various matriarchal roles she is forced to play as the Brahmin mother of an errant son out to bring a Muslim girl into the sanctified interiors of the palace!
Deepika as Mastani, looks beautiful, has enormously expressive eyes but is overshadowed by PC and RS. What ever happened to her? Where is the intensity of her romance? I Couldn't help conjuring up images of Aishwarya playing Mastani! That would have been something.
The battle scenes are impressive and the music is great. Wish a bit of the length had been sacrificed, to weed out the superfluous elements and make it a true classic! Certainly SLB could have omitted the trade mark, face-off dance between the wife and the other-woman!
The Movie belongs to RS and see it for him. Kindly note, till before this movie I wasn't a fan of RS! Also for PC, as she lends immense credibility in the role of a rejected wife!
Certainly deserves a 4 on 5 as a package!
