Film aside, I am in await that these movie were picked up in real life, a few centuries ago. I hope that it was all happened ut must be truth. I hope this is how Bajirao Peshwa was – not only a valiant leader, but also stood up for his women and when necessary stood up against them too. his wars were absolutely clear about why he was fighting them – not for religion. I wonder when we regressed. I wonder what problem anyone would have in believing that the man and the women were as they were portrayed here.
Such strong personalities - each one of them. Once you get over the each-frame-a-beautiful-canvas visuals that are typical of Bhansali films, you are taken over by the characters. The frames stay adorable, hence it was just that the three main leads perform soo nicely . Mastani, the strong-willed woman consumed by love – yes some women are like that, then and now. Bajirao, known as India’s greatest warrior also fell in love and not just once. And Kashibai superb lady What a beautiful marathi lady.Hurting yet holding her pride.
ranveer and priyanka she is relegated to the background for most of the film. But in the priyankas scenes – she makes you forget it is her and holds you in awe of Kashibai where you feel her pain too. Deepika and Ranveer Singh come across as just pretty people when held against her. They do well, but you begin to notice how after a point they have to hold just one expression. Ranveer Singh overacts a tad bit and has an inconsistent accent. Not that these lapses are intolerable but they make you wonder how much better the performance would have been without.
There were other things that took away from the film. Like the songs, especially the one with the Peshwa celebrating. No, whether or not they happened all those years ago, whether or not it offends anyone - at least one or two of them should’ve been cut out – they should’ve stayed out because they just made the film longer. There were times when the film came across as a saas-bahu1 soap opera, but I guess this was a family drama of its own kind.
The time lapses were distracting too. Too many times, the narrative moved from one character to another without a smooth flow. Looks like Mr. Bhansali had a lot more shot and had to be cruel on the editing table. Another distraction came with the Marathi words thrown in, isn’t it just fine that they are speaking in Hindi in a Hindi film? Then there was the preachy closing – why-o-why?
Of course, even when put together these aberrations are not huge enough to take away from what’s good about the film. Magnificent visuals apart, Bajirao Mastani might be a version of history that I wish is true.