- A magnificent poetic expression of NS Inamdar’s Marathi novel Rau by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
It's now been more than days since I saw Sanjay Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani, on 19th Dec. 2015, Saturday at 6 PM to be exact. The grandeur of the Maratha courts with their chandeliers and diaphanous curtains, the transcendent beauty of the Sheesh Mahal, extreme regal look of Peshwa, elegant Mastani and gracious Kasibhai still remain entrenched in my mind.
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The brave warrior Bajirao was most influential peshwa of Maratha confederacy. According to legends, he led his troops in over 41 battles one after another, and reputed to have never tasted a sour defeat. Furthermore, being a married man he won unflinching love of impressively fierce woman warrior, and off the battlefield she was a gifted singer, dancer, trained in politics. Naturally this relationship caused an uproar in his orthodox family. However, he defies every tradition, custom and accepts her as his second wife and fought all the fights to earn respect to her. This left his mother, brother & wife in blues and that led to clash of ideologies in his own family. The Magnum Opuses Bajirao Mastani, as name suggests portrayed love saga of Bajirao & Mastani and it's consequences. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's love for ill fated love stories and his fascination for filming them exceedingly gorgeous, barely needs any intro. Yet again, with Bajirao Mastani he has proved himself as a consummate master in evoking a sense of other worldliness by bringing alive this epic love story with amazing visuals and great music.
The movie takes off with a detailed disclaimer stating that, 'it is more the filmmakers' vision than an accurate historical episode' and begins to transport audiences to a land of war, passion, grandeur and love. The grand entry scenes of Ranveer & Deepika followed by terrific war scenes establishes Bajirao’s credentials as a legendary war hero and gives us a lead how brave both Bajirao and Mastani really are, in first 10 -15 minutes. Then, slowly a lot of events continue to unfold in the backdrop of this love triangle and ends with the voice over "Mohabbat ka koi dharam nahi hota. Woh khud ek dharam hai.''
Ranveer Singh looks fantastic as Bajirao, and it is difficult to imagine anyone else as Bajirao after watching his phenomenal performance as a powerful Peshwa to intense lover. He nailed those action and emotional scenes in every frame. All in all, Ranveer did a terrific job. More precisely, it was a pleasure to watch him spout off dialogues on silver screen.Tanvi Azmi's performance as mother of Peshwa Bajirao is note worthy. Deepika's performance as Mastani was decent. Her expressions were subtle and her tears looks genuine even if they were probably glycerine-induced. She just lived in the role of a woman who has accepted her fate of being tossed around by the vagaries of human machinations. Priyankas as Kasibhai did a damn good job. She did justice to her role as the heartbroken first wife. The two women in Bajirao's life, his wife Kashibai and his true love Mastani are at odds with each other, but as usual in Bhansali's universe, neither is allowed to lose her feminine calm and composure in the face of the severest of provocations.
The dialogues written by Prakash Kapadia are classy, he has really done wonder with words. Every line is tailored to suit the moment and celebrate the occasion.The action scenes were decent enough, though few scenes particularly, like charging on elephant by using soldiers as human ladders seems rather implausible. But I must confess that it sent a wave of goosebumps when I watched it in trailer itself. Songs and background score in the movie with classical touch is amazing. Sanjay Leela Bansali as music director exactly did extract the mood and aesthetic of the songs. "Albela sajan aayo ri" , "Mohe Rang Do Lal" and "Deewani Mastani" are gem of the songs.
Finally, Sanjay Leela Bhansali left no stone unturned to ensure that his 12 years dream venture shapes up into a opulent and ostentatious piece. Yet again, he proved that he has an eye for detail and makes sure that the film stands out in almost every department. 'Bajirao Mastani', was one of the last films released in the year 2015, but when it comes to the list of finest films certainly be at the top of the list.
- Sravya
