Bajirao Mastani – Love and Grandeur

Photo courtesy: facebook.com/bajiraomastani

“Love has no religion; love is itself a religion.” 

The core of this movie is love, love, and love. With larger than life sets, mesmerizing visual appeal, spellbinding performances, and hard-hitting music, this period drama is one of the cinematic masterpieces. Every frame speaks of grandeur and is polished with art. Sanjay Leela Bhansali all the way - from the very first scene to the last one.

The movie is based on the Marathi novel “Raau” by Nagnath S. Inamdar. Set aside the historical accuracies, for which controversies are already there - what truly shows off is that the movie has its soul and the heart; and it sure does inherit the cinematic liberties.

Now, not everyone can make this type of film. So, hats off to Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The movie does not deviate from its main storyline and flow smoothly throughout. One can have the problem with the pace, which is slow sometimes and fast sometimes, but there is never a dull moment. It touches you and grabs your attention to the fullest. There are some flaws, but apart from those, the movie is nothing short of grand. As a director and music director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali scores high.

Screenplay as a whole is good but had the characterization been a bit deeper, it would have been greater. I loved how the film has portrayed the different aspects of love in three main characters. Unconditional, eternal, intense, devoted, sacrificial, and some more adjectives might be added - the power and purity of love! So much feels!

Some scenes stand out among many good ones such as one between Kashibai and Bajirao where Kashi complains to Bajirao for his betrayal to her, the first scene of Bajirao, confrontation between Mastani and Kashibai, etc. War scenes can be termed incredible enough. The tragic ending is not the satisfying thing for anyone, but the way climax scene has been presented, it’s stupendous.

The cinematography is brilliant. Set spells magic. Each and every frame, literally. Costumes are worth mentioning – they are magnetic. Dialogues are poetic and hard-hitting. Background score is top notch. These factors are the equally strong pillars of Bajirao Mastani. Songs are nice.

Talking about the flaws, well, way too much songs. Malhari looks nice but could have been easily avoided from the script. There is no proper indication of timeframe at few places as the story progresses. And, there could have been more drama!

Performances!!

Ranveer Singh is damn awesome; one cannot think anyone else as Bajirao now. From the war sequences to his love for Mastani, from his fallout with Kashi and family to the broken self during the climax, he gets the act just right. Dialect, body language, expressions, and his infectious energy - this actor is magnificent. Deepika Padukone shines as a warrior and a lover. Beautiful and ferocious. She has completely justified the character.

And Priyanka Chopra! She is just amazing! She has fewer screen presence and less part on narrative, but she excels on every scene. Her eyes and her expressions do the talking. The love, the pain, the jealousy, the vulnerability – she puts her soul in Kashibai. She looks adorable and much emotive.

Tanvi Azmi is splendid as Bajirao’s mother, so is Milind Suman as Panth. All other supporting actors have done their job nicely.

The magnum opus ‘Bajirao Mastani’ is a kind of movie that comes rarely. Spectacular and marvelous! One gem of a movie, it is. Must watch, at least once.