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Bajirao Mastani review: An opulent but flawed saga (Spoiler)



Bajirao Mastani
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra and Tanvi Azmi
Rating: 2.5/5

“Duniya ka har dharm mohabbat sikhata hai, Mohabbat ka koi dharm nahi hota. Mohabbat khud hi dharm hai” (All religions teach love, love has no religion and it is a religion in itself) - that is what Sanjay Leela Bhansali aims to preach with Bajirao Mastani that hits theatres on Friday.

Bajirao Mastani explores the romantic side of 18th-century Maratha general Bajirao Ballal Bhat, who fought and won 40 battles against the Mughals with an aim to create a unified Hindu kingdom or Akhand Bharatvarsha (united Bharat).

With Mastani’s scarcely recorded history, Bhansali had a beautiful premise of a love story that has never been explored onscreen. However, he makes it a tiring affair: Laden with the burden of self-indulgence and dramatic “dialoguebaazi”, the film drags on at its own sweet and laid-back pace.



Bajirao Mastani is a lengthy film that moves at a snail’s pace, in signature Bhansali style. The lyrical dialogues and literary brilliance of the dialogues bog the story down with overindulgence instead of striking the audience in awe of the grandeur at show. For example, one of Ranveer Singh’s dialogues has doobta sooraj, khilta chand, bewaqt ki baarish, dharm ki zanjeer and mohabbat ki aag in one single sentence! The dialogues seem more like an ensemble of Hindi words than boasting of the lyricism the filmmaker seems to have aimed for.

Replete with references of Akhand Bharat, the film repeats time and again that religion should not become greater than human beings or love. That message could not have been timed better, given the current situation in the country. The dialogues, overladen with lyricism, are more likely to be mocked than paid heed to. Sample some of them:

When parting ways after meeting for the first time, Deepika tells Ranveer: “Tujhe yaad kar liya hai ayat ki tarah, ab zikra hoga tera ibadat ki tarah.”



Then, Deepika’s mom tries to convince her not to go to Ranveer, reminding her that he already has a wife.
Deepika: “Patni to Radha bhi nahi thi, lekin Krishna ke saath log yaad use hi karte hain.”
Mom: “Wo bhagwan the!”
Deepika: “Aur ishq ibadat. Ibadat ke liye ijazat nahi li jaati.”

When Priyanka visits Deepika in Peshwa’s kingdom, Deepika tells her: “Aapne yaha aa ke Bundelkhand ki is najayaz beti ko sindoor jitna jayaz bana diya.”



The actors offer relief in this period saga, especially Deepika as she enters the scene with sparkling brilliance, stepping up the tempo every time she is in the frame.

She makes a dashing entry as she attacks the Peshwa (Ranveer) in his own camp when his attendants do not allow her to meet him. Dressed like a soldier, she moves forward kicking and slashing Ranveer’s soldiers. He stands there awestruck.

Priyanka’s subtle performance adds grace to her character of Kashibai, the Peshwa’s first wife. Tanvi Azmi plays Ranveer’s mom with such power and elegance that she makes you fear her. Even the supporting cast of Mahesh Manjrekar as Chhatrasal Shahu, Vaibhav Tatwawdi as Bajirao’s brother Chimaji and Milind Soman as Bajirao’s friend and advisor add gravity to the story. They swiftly stepped into their characters.



Ranveer has much more potential than what is at display in Bajirao Mastani. He just seems to be having fun with the sets and his costumes. He is not too convincing as the warrior or even the passionate lover. He does have a few moments of brilliance, nonetheless. In a sequence, for example, Ranveer behaves as if he is intoxicated when his younger brother and chief adviser approach him. And Ranveer starts saying, “Nashe me to sab hain Chimaji, daulat ka nasha, dharm ka nasha. Hum bhi ishq ke nashe mein hain.” You almost expect him to break into Amitabh Bachchan lines “Nashe mein kon nahi hai mujhe batao zara, kise hai hosh mere saamne to lao zara” from the Sharabi song Log Kehte Hain Main Sharabi Hu.

Credit must be given to Anju Modi, Deepika’s designer, who adds to Mastani’s elegant and beautiful persona with her well-crafted dresses. The sets, quite predictably, are a sight to behold and add to the grandeur on display.

Though the story ends on a sad note and the ending is a bit too stretched, the entire sequence is one of few high points of Bajirao Mastani. Ranveer’s character is hallucinating under high fever and sees forces charging at him in a calm Narmada river. He rages his own battle, swinging his sword like a maniac. When Priyanka asks him about his opponent, he says: “Bhagwan ... kismet”. This signifies his lost battle with his own family and custodians of religion. From Ranveer’s loss to Priyanka watching him go crazy, you can feel everyone’s pain, angst and grief.

If you appreciate Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s opulence and grandeur, this won’t disappoint. It can be a good one-time watch, for Deepika’s performance, if not anything else.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/movie...period-saga/story-QzBfXKNdnZf2qlnr1CNkyK.html

 

Good reviews so far

 

BAJIRAO MASTANI MOVIE REVIEW
Release Date : Dec 18,2015

Home > Hindi Movie Reviews



Review by : D Meera Chithirappaavai
CAST AND CREW
1 of 1

Production: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh
Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Screenplay: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Music: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cinematography: Sudeep Chatterjee
Editing: Rajesh G. Pandey
Mise-en scene, the ‘grand undefined’ term by film critics, is the hero of director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani. The director’s mere thought to convert this simple yet intense love story of the Maratha warrior Peshwa Bajirao and his second wife Mastani, into an artful audio-visual content is to be appreciated. For Indian film buffs, who have seen many movies based on regal affairs, this film will look fresh as it throws light on a warrior who is a Brahmin by birth but a warrior by practice. This very knot routes the entire narration to an undiscovered social and cultural background.

Ranveer Singh as the lead looks extremely convincing to play the stimulating part of the entire narration. His efforts and dedication to the art is evident in every frame he appears. From the very first scene, one gets to see Bajirao and not Ranveer; from that point we see the performer Ranveer triumphing. Deepika on the other hand is without a second thought becoming one of the finest artists of our land. She looks real, alive and striking. Priyanka Chopra as Kashibai has understood her part well and that has made the process of assimilating her character by the audience easy. Classic performance by all other artists makes this film transcend beyond our eyes and ears.

When a film chooses visual metaphors, symbols and signs, the movie watching experience becomes a session for semiotics; it should be noted that it also turns out to be an enjoyable session. Seamless transition of time, through the story helps to retain the attention of the audience.

If one decides to describe the set design, cinematography and grandeur of the film, one is sure to have trouble finding suitable adjectives to do so. Only a glossary of adjectives holding the superlatives can come to your rescue. Such is the brilliance exhibited in these aspects and that is the reason why this review opens by calling Mise-en scene as the hero of the film. Though few portions are CG supported, they are almost seamless and aesthetic.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s songs or the usage of songs is a step more than being efficient. They entertain us and simultaneously take the narration forward. Special mention to the costume designer, Anju Modi who has had extreme clarity in her work.

The first half of the film, though longer than the second half, is much more engaging than the latter. As the maker is on a mission to narrate a real story; scrutinizing the story or the commercial elements it lacks, is unfair. The same holds good to the religious ideologies portrayed in the film.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani is testimonial to reiterate that “Love conquers above everything”

Verdict: An extremely captivating history class.

( 3.5 / 5.0

 

Bajirao Mastaani was below thw mark on day one with 12.25 crore nett as it suffered due to the clash with Dilwale. The film only saw good collections in Maharashtra with the rest of the country not really performing. Mysore was also pretty good. Mumbai circuit was more than 40% of the all India collections.



The mass circuits were always going to find it hard. For North India, it was the regional Maharashtra flavor of the film and circuits like West Bengal and Nizam / Andhra where it could have collected well are Shahrukh Khan strong circuits. The film could have grossed 4-5 crore nett more if it was a solo release which would have been a good platform to build from.


The film should manage growth on Saturday as its better collections are at premium multiplexes which have best collections on Saturday. The film will need big support from other major regions outside Maharashtra over the weekend if it is to make any real headway. The film also had a dubbed version which very poor with around 30 lakhs nett

 

Making a periodic movie takes lot of courage and dedication and while not many directors in bollywood take a risk with it, it is the maverick filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bansali who has come up with the story of Pehwa Bajirao in his larger than life cinematic form. Whether the movie proves to be a hit amongst the audiences or not? Read on to know...

'Bajirao Mastani' is a story of Bajirao Ballal Bhat fondly known as Pehwa Bajirao, who had fought 40 battles, with the Mughals and came as a winner of each. But amidst his desire to rule to country, he is also fighting for the love of his life, Mastani, who is a Muslim. The rest of the story deals with Bajirao’s battle to win his country and love.

Every bit of Sanjay Leela Bansali movies proves to be a visual extravaganza because of his idea of inducing opulent settings and lavish sets in the backdrops of all his movies. From the special effects to the exquisite jewellery and costumes, 'Bajirao Mastani' is again, nothing short of a spectacle in every sense. The filmmaker makes up for a beautiful watch for the viewers and makes sure that the audiences easily connect with the characters and that era on a whole. Now enough of the visuals, let’s get to the performances, which I don’t know where to start from, as each one is better than the other.

Starting with the best, Ranveer Singh as an actor is out of this world. He is a marvel in every sense, with his ultimate expressions, to the dedication in which he plays Bajirao, what is not to love. We are sure, whenever Bajirao Peshwa’s name comes up, from now on, only Ranveer’s face will pop in your heads, afterall he is so believable.

Deepika Padukone looks mesmerizing throughout the film and her performance is worth all your money. The actress complements Ranveer in the best way possible. Priyanka may have not got much screen space, but even in that little time, she is a treat to watch. From her amazing dialogue delivery and to her expressions, Priyanka nails it.

It is however Ranveer and Deepika’s chemistry that takes the film to a whole new level of awesomeness. The two sure make up for a dream pair. The rest of the cast including Tanvi Azmi, Milind Soman and Mahesh Manjrekar play their parts extremely well.

The movie however does fall flat in a few areas. The first half being slow paced, the second half has too much weep and is extremely fast paced. It is however the climax that has been made too filmy and is disappointing. The cinematography is awesome and so is the editing. The songs are ok and do not impress us much.

All in all, Bajirao Mastani is a sure shot watch for all its elements including the storyline, the visuals and the mind-boggling performance by the cast. Do not afford to miss this one.

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Bajirao Mastaani was below thw mark on day one with 12.25 crore nett as it suffered due to the clash with Dilwale. The film only saw good collections in Maharashtra with the rest of the country not really performing. Mysore was also pretty good. Mumbai circuit was more than 40% of the all India collections.



The mass circuits were always going to find it hard. For North India, it was the regional Maharashtra flavor of the film and circuits like West Bengal and Nizam / Andhra where it could have collected well are Shahrukh Khan strong circuits. The film could have grossed 4-5 crore nett more if it was a solo release which would have been a good platform to build from.


The film should manage growth on Saturday as its better collections are at premium multiplexes which have best collections on Saturday. The film will need big support from other major regions outside Maharashtra over the weekend if it is to make any real headway. The film also had a dubbed version which very poor with around 30 lakhs nett

 

taran adarsh @taran_adarsh 2m2 minutes ago
‪#‎BajiraoMastani‬ biz witnessed SUPERB growth on Sat, gaining a STRONG foothold at plexes. Fri 12.80 cr, Sat 15.52 cr. Total: ₹ 28.32 cr.

 

http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainm...t-final-figures-dilwale-bajirao-mastani-day-2

 

Bajirao Mastani showd gains of around 22% on day two which is decent though gains really had to be more. The business of Bajirao Mastaani over the first two days is as follows.



Thursday - 12,25,00,000

Friday - 15,00,00,00 apprx



TOTAL - 27,25,00,000




The film is good in Maharashtra where the film has caught up with Dilwale and even surpassed in some cities but the rest of the country is still lagging. Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Orissa are very low.. .

 

Dilwale had a strong Sunday growing around 15-20% to gross around 23 crore nett. the figure could be come out a little higher as some cities in Gujarat have shown big gains and if this is the case with all the states then the figure could go higher.



The disruptions that the film faced in various regions over the first two days due to political issues were less on Sunday. The weekend of the film will be around 64 crore nett which is good total as it was a non holiday weekend and the screenings were around 40% less than what a big film like this world normally get. Some circuits have under performed due to less screens especially Delhi /UP but generally most circuits are good with some having excellent weekend business.


Bajirao Mastaani also showed 15-20% growth on Sunday as its business will be in the range of 17.50 crore nett. The weekend will be around 45 crore nett which is actually a good number if looked at it from the face value point of view but low for the costs involved. It really needed a higher start or the growth on Saturday and Sunday to be higher.



Bajirao Mastani fared very well in Maharashtra and Mysore, fair in other parts with West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Orissa being poor. The film also had a Telugu and Tamil version which fared very poorly and grossed around 75 lakhs nett over the weekend.