Sometimes you wonder what drives this Bhansali. It takes something
special to have an oeuvre spanning Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Black, Ram leela and
now the splendid Bajirao Mastani.
Bajirao Mastani…
As you traipse through the two hours and thirty eight
minutes of this movie, you cannot but be spellbound by the love that the
director has caressed the movie with.
The movie has its minuses, its length being one. You end up
feeling the movie could have been at least twenty minutes shorter and still retained
its strength.
At times the movie takes on the feel of a documentary. But,
the compelling beauty of the storytelling leaves the negatives far behind.
While creating future is a tough task and calls for
imagination, recreating the past is an art in itself. The movie captures the
beauty of the medieval era in its quintessence. The sheer grandeur of the sets transport
your imagination to a world that might have existed once upon a time.
The real directorial challenge while making a movie is the
casting. In Bajirao Mastani, Sanjay Bhansali has got this magic potion
perfectly right.
Right from Irrfran Khan who holds the movie together with
his storytelling to Milind Soman, the trusted lieutenant of Bajirao, the actors
who essay their roles look like perfect choices.
As actors play out their characters, you marvel at how a
director could have extracted the best from every actor.
Ranveer has to be one of India’s finest actors of today and
Bhansali knows how to make this man bring out his absolute best. There is some
raw energy that Ranveer has that connects instantly with the audience. As Bajirao,
Ranveer delivers a solid performance that will not be easily forgotten. As a
warrior, as a son, as a husband and as a lover, the various hues of the
character are brought to life by his intensity.
Deepika! As they say in Hindi “Bas naam hi Kaafi hai”.
Resplendant in red, majestic in maroon, arresting in an armour and pristine in
her persuasiveness, she is un-missable in the movie. Blessed with a magical
beauty that can move a thousand ships, she proves yet again that she is a very
fine actor whose beauty is not her only claim to fame.
But, the show stopper is Priyanka. Ah Priyanka! So sad you don’t
choose your roles well enough. Else, for the acting skills you possess, you
could have been the true Diva of Indian movies. In every scene she is a part
of, Priyank stands out, by a huge margin. The innocence, the possessiveness,
the longing, the forgiveness, the elegance, and the simplicity – she shows the
rare caliber that makes a star. So easily does she render with ease various
hues that you are left wondering why she does not do more such roles.
While the name of the
movie is Bajirao Mastani, without
Priyanka who plays the role of Kashi, the movie would have been vacuous.
Of course, it is a Sanjay Bhansali show all through. In the
movie’s warp, weft and weave, his directorial genius lives.
For too long, we Indians have complained that the Indian
movies lack the scale, grandeur or originality of Hollywood.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali has proven yet again that the time to
look down upon the Indian movies is coming to an end.
