Bajirao Mastani, a dream, a vision that had been simmering in the cauldron's of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's creativity. An unborn child who constantly gave birth pangs to its creator with no delivery in sight until the muses conspired and sent three stars whose passion, commitment & honesty ensured the birth of the unborn child BAJIRAO MASTANI!
Sanjay Leela Bhansali teases us in this teaser, offering a glimpse here, a peek there hypnotizing us with the vibrant colors, the rooted earthiness and with the smooth flow of the camera which is quite a quiet Hero by itself.
The teaser open with a sober, serious, determined Bajirao aka Ranveer Singh galloping towards a fort, his army running behind holding aloft the flags, his soldiers brandishing the sword, the aura of power, of military campaign comes through. The teaser passes through to the domestic domains which no less a military ground either. we see the demure Kashibai adorning her head with the protective gear of her husband Bajirao. Priyanka Chopra has captured the ingenuousness of the woman, the pride and love for her husband to telling effect.
Just as we begin to smile at Kashibai's simplicity, SLB pulls us back to the courts of Maratha King where Bajirao is tested, reminiscent of Mahabharat where Arjun shoots the arrow at the fish here BajiRao lets loose an arrow at a peacock feather kept at a distance. well, No marks for guessing what happens next Yup! The arrow finds its target and the crowd goes into raptures. The establishment of Bajirao as a Man above Men is done.
The picture of Bajirao as a man of reckoning & that of Kashibai as a simple wife who loves her husband is etched without a mistake, we come to the other half of Bajirao Mastani. Mastani is introduced NOT as a courtesan who is twirling away to glory in a costume that outdoes the brilliant of brilliantest star or in gaudy makeup that would put the rainbow to shame nor do we see the heavy anklets/jhumroo adorning her feet Nay! we see her shorn of makeup, devoid of jewelery grimly fighting back against the attackers. The first pointer that Mastani is not your everyday courtesan!
While Kashibai comes across as the unassuming traditional housewife who is content & happy lighting up her home & spreading colors of happiness, Mastani with her reserve, her intense fierceness, her aloof dignity embodies strength, a power. What is very intriguing is while Priyanka is all decked up, Deepika has been deglamm--ed to an extent with minimal jewels, the costume is rich but not grandoise , there has been an effort to assert that Mastani was not just a beauty but she was that rare breed who had an identity of her own. Perhaps that was the reason why Bajirao was attracted to Mastani for Bajirao had beauty in his wife, love and adoration in his spouse but where Mastani scores is in her strength - definitely a persona that would attract a man like Bajirao who would have seen 100's of beauties.
Is everything grim and tragic in the land of Bajirao Mastani? Nope! a cute scene where Bajirao is proceeding towards the court looking serious, a quick sober upward flick at his wife Kashibai who is watching from the galleries & what do we see? Kashibai gleefully teasing her husband with impish glee - A scene that both Ranveer & Priyanka enacted beautifully.
Another noteworthy scene comes towards the end, Here in the battleground the Son Bajirao fights for the freedom of his motherland from the invader's & there in the palace the mother Mastani fights for the life of her son. In that one instance we realize that this is not the love of flesh, love of beauty rather it is the union of minds, union of hearts.
The opulence, the grandeur, vast space, humongous crowd - the ever present trademark of SLB is there & so are the trademark diya and the sudden explosion of colors. SLB's stamps his Top shots and varied angles of forts here too. It is also heartening to note that he has managed to bring Bajirao & Mastani alive. Priyanka essays her role with an ease of a veteran but somehow Kashibai comes across as a artifice. there is a lack of connection with her. Whether it is the fault of the teaser or the actor shall be known only after the movie releases. Ranveer Singh as Bajirao is adequate, Just when we begin to think that he is monotonous, he gives us the quick peeks that show that the fire is burning strong & not to underestimate him. To be honest, I had thought that Deepika Padukone will flounder in a period drama but she has taken me completely by surprise. The poise, elegance, restraint yet at the same time conveying an intensity that is aloof yet heart wrenching. The scene of Mastani fighting with the assassins whilst cradling her infant son lingers long after the teaser ends yes, Deepika stamps herself on our psyche.
Watch the teaser Here
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