Bajirao Mastani has been Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s passion project since years, and it shows. The sets, the mounting, the songs, the costumes, everything reeks of his vision. Based on the Marathi book Rau, by NS Inamdar, Bajirao Mastani is the forbidden love story of a Brahmin Bajirao and a half Muslim and half Rajput Mastani, but this movie belongs to Kashibai. Priyanka Chopra had to essay the difficult role of a third wheel in an epic love triangle, and she steals the show! From her adorable conversations with her Bajirao, to the scene with her mother-in-law Radhabai (played by a formidable Tanvi Azmi) where they’re laughing, and subsequently crying over her husband’s love for Mastani, Priyanka shines. Look out for the scene between her and Deepika before the Pinga song, that itself should be enough to fetch her all the awards this season.
But this doesn’t mean that Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone were any less. This film wouldn’t have worked had the two not been at their best. With Bajirao Mastani, Ranveer has proved that’s he’s easily one of the best actors we have in Bollywood. His Marathi accent is pitch perfect, his warrior avatar is ferocious and his romantic scenes with both Mastani and Kashibai are electric. Deepika as Mastani looks like someone who has been especially crafted by the Gods. In her homage to Mughal-E-Azam‘s Madhubala in Mohe Rang Do Laal (a tribute to Mohe Panghat Pe) and Deewani Mastani, which everyone knows is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s version of Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya, Deepika’s eyes clearly show the devotion she has for her love. She’s good in her action sequences too, but they’re too few to establish her as a warrior princess.
Talking about action, after Baahubali, Bajirao Mastani is the second film in Indian cinema which has got its war scenes right, and the adrenaline rush inducing background score was making me feel like I’m right there, with the Maratha warriors, planning to dethrone the Mughals from our country. The only problem (in my humble opinion) was the climax of the movie. Bajirao’s fever induced hallucinations and Mastani’s subsequent breakdown was a little stretched, but this a major improvement as compared to other Bhansali movies where the end refuses to come.
The music is nice and they’ve been shot even better (especially Deewani Mastani), Sudeep Chaterjee’s cinematography is excellent and the dialogues are definitely the highlight of the movie. A standout scene in the film is when Mastani walks into Bajirao’s palace after the birth of Kashi’s son to give her blessings. When taunted for bringing a gift wrapped in the colour green, she fires back with the importance of green in Hindu rituals and the colour saffron in Muslim ones. The screenplay is tight and the movie moves at breakneck speed, barring the aforementioned climax. My only grouse with the speed is that Bajirao and Mastani’s romance seems a tad bit rushed, but as I said before, Ranveer and Deepika’s chemistry still manages to make us feel for them.
All in all, Bajirao Mastani is definitely a must-watch with Ranveer and Deepika giving the best performances of their careers, but it’s a Priyanka Chopra show at the end of the day!
Rating: ****