Friday, December 18, 2015

Bajirao Mastani : Visual Opulence !

#BajiraoMastani : With arguably the longest disclaimer in the history of hindi cinema , Sanjay Leela Bhansali makes it pretty clear at the beginning that his magnum opus is not a factual representation of the life of 18th century Maratha warrior Peshwa Bajirao Balaji Bhat (1700-1740)  , rather it is based on N.S. Inamder’s celebrated novel “Rau”.  From there on, brace yourself for everything that is typical of Bhansali, the grandeur, the scale, the set, the melodrama, the music, the colour, the canvas, the costume, the self indulgence, the drama and of course the dance.

And amidst all these opulence, it is the story that suffers. Subtlety has never been Bhansali’s forte, but trying to recreate “Devdas” while telling the love story of legendary warrior who has remained unconquered in forty one battles is a faux pas, too difficult to be ignored.  So “ Pinga ga pori ” is forced into the narrative to bring the effect of “ Dola re”. While the later had a context in the narrative, the former in fact reduces the conflict and affects the narrative. Wait there is more “Babuji ne kaha Gaon Chod do , Sab ne Kaha Paro ko Chod do” moment. Only the Babuji is replaced by Aai here. Thankfully Tanvi Azmi’s character as Radhabai , Bajirao’s mother, has been fleshed out and she gives a powerhouse performance as a matriarch .

  

However in spite of its inherent flaws, Bajirao Mastani is a breathtaking visual tapestry.  The fountains, the chandeliers, the glass palace, the costume creates magic.  Sudeep Chatarjee’s cinematography is poetic and deserves a standing ovation. Music and background score transports you into a world of its own. Ranvir Singh is pure class. He makes the character of Peshwa his own, even picks up the Marathi accent and gives a delightfully power packed performance, probably his best till date. Priyanka who gets to play a character that goes through different emotions is scintillating. She gives an outstanding performance every time she is in frame and even outshines Deepika in scenes where they are together.  Deepika has a sizzling entry. Yet for an actor who has been in a zone for quite some time now playing each character with aplomb, she gives a slightly inconsistent performance. At almost 2 hours 40 minutes and with a very long melodramatic climax, the editing pulls down the pace and exhausts a bit.

Alright then, in a world where Visual Opulence can be renamed “Bhansali”, Bhansali has a new syndrome called “ Devdas”  and where history starts with “ Disclaimer” I will go out with 2.5 out of 5 for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Labour of Love “ Bajirao Mastani” . Go indulge yourself, the “Experience” may not be authentic yet it’s worth savoring!