Bajirao Mastani (2015)

Does anyone remember when this film was actually announced?? Way back when - 15 years ago, touted as Sanjay Leela Bhansali's dream project, with Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead. Over the years, the lead cast going through so many changes - with almost all the top actors in Bollywood rumored to play the titular Bajirao!! And then the controversies - descendants of the Peshwas petitioned against the release of the film, the songs drawing a lot of flak, historical accuracy being questioned!! Of course, all this simply ended up raising the film's curiosity value!!

The Peshwa history is a golden chapter in Indian history - and Bajirao Peshwa one of our greatest heroes. He is credited with the expansion of the Maratha Empire - in his 19 years as Peshwa, he not only has the distinction of winning 42 battles straight, but of remaining undefeated on the battlefield. Much loved by his soldiers, he led from the front - it is said that he spent more time on horseback than on the ground!! Moving the seat of the Peshwas to Pune, it was during his reign that the palatial Shaniwar Wada was built - a true symbol of the power the Peshwas wielded!! It is ironic that this great warrior should be remembered not for his military exploits - but for his romance and marriage with Mastani, a Chhatrasal princess from Bundelkhand!! But enough of the history lesson - back to the film!!

Bajirao Mastani starts impressively enough - the glorious Satara darbar of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, the selection of the young Bajirao as the next Peshwa, the montage of his victories, the battle of Bundelkhand - I was literally on the edge of my seat!! Ok, I'll admit - I had serious misgivings about this film, but I take them back - it was immensely gratifying to watch the splendor of the Maratha Empire depicted so lavishly!! Such a beautiful film - the costumes, the sets, the details - an absolute visual treat!! Especially loved the recreation of Shaniwar Wada - as magnificently imposing as can be imagined!!

If only Sanjay Leela Bhansali had not let the mores of Bollywood take over - this film would have been a monumental biopic of Bajirao Peshwa - a truly epic historical. As it stands, barring the first 30 minutes, we have a traditional Bollywood love-story - what could have been legendary, remains a mere costume drama!! The songs - yes, all of them - although exquisitely pictured, detract greatly from the narrative!! And the 'love story' - where's the sizzle, the electric passion? - I was yawning through most of the romantic scenes!! The absolute low point was the Bajirao-Mastani lamaze - seriously?!! And the end was such a drag - so very filmy - was wishing for a FF button!!

Of the cast, Ranveer Singh impresses the most - he is riveting as Bajirao. From the Marathi accented Hindi, to the regal posture and bearing, with delightful touches like the head nod - he brings Bajirao to life - the confidence of the battle-hardened warrior, his gradual unraveling into a weary, embittered soul - a bravura performance!! Priyanka Chopra sparkles as the sassy Kashibai - and how gorgeous does she look!! The surprise is Deepika - and not in a good way - very, very disappointing!! A very wooden performance, Deepika looks lost - and that wide-eyed, no-blink stare is so disconcerting!! The supporting cast - notably Milind Soman as Ambaji Panth, Tanvi Azmi as Radhabai and Mahesh Manjrekar as Shahu Maharaj - are all wonderfully cast, and the sprinkle of familiar faces from the Marathi film and TV industry was delightful!!

A little bit about the outrage regarding the historical inaccuracies. In my opinion, most importantly, in no way does the film denigrate the Peshwas or the Maratha Empire - far from it!! Secondly, the film is based on the novel Rau by N.S. Inamdar - a work of fiction to begin with. And isn't a certain amount of cinematic license to be expected anyway?? As for the Bajirao-Mastani romance - yes, Bajirao did marry a Bundelkhand princess named Mastani. Yes, she had a Muslim mother. Yes, as Bajirao's second wife, she was not at all accepted by the Peshwa's family and the orthodox Brahmin community. Yes, Bajirao defied society and his family by installing her in the Shaniwar Wada. But the great romance, the grand passion - is this a historical fact at all?? So where is the question of inaccuracies??

Bajirao Mastani is far from perfect. But surely all those historians who are up in arms regarding the inaccuracies and the cultural elite who are so incensed about the Bollywoodization - I'm pretty sure that's a word! - of Marathi culture - surely these guardians of our legacy must realize that although flawed, this film has brought the legend of Bajirao home to a whole new generation? Unfairly reduced to a cipher, relegated to a footnote - thanks to this film, Bajirao Peshwa stands tall once more!! What more can anyone ask for!!