Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and even PC for a bit , we have seen that before? Remember Ram Leela? And here comes another movie with an eponymous movie title narrating the story of the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao (Ranveer Singh) and half Muslim half Rajput Mastani (Deepika Padukone) which is nothing like the previous Romeo-Juliet rip-off.
Like you know, the movie doesn’t begin with the grand entry of either of the actors, but with the flamboyant set you can’t take your eyes off of ! And then begins the story of Maratha kingdom reigned by Bajirao who has a beautiful wife Kashibai (Priyanka Chopra) and a headstrong mother Radhabai (Tanvi Azmi) and midst all his glorious victories, he runs into Mastani a.k.a Deepika, who looks so gorgeous as the warrior of Bundelkhand, dressed majorly in the palette of beige and white, typically justifying her Muslim look.
The movie goes on with some history, wars, romance, heavy poetic lines some of which are actually beautifully written, and it sure moves at a leisurely pace, but what grows on you are both the lead characters. Ranveer Singh wins you over and over again with his perfect body, swift walk and the smooth Marathi accent that literally steals your heart and makes you believe that no other actor in Bollywood right now could have bettered the role of Bajirao.
The next in line is Deepika, who initially comes across as a loyal warrior, an obsessive dreamy lover, but eventually her pain and unconditional love grows on you and the passion between them can be felt in every scene where they are together or even when they are apart.
One noticeable thing in the movie was the excessive use of water, be it Bajirao walking in a pool of water to greet an enemy, pouring water on Kashibai in a love making scene, crossing a river in a rainstorm to meet Mastani or standing in a fountain extending a hug to her, the movie uses water extensively and proves the same in the climax.
Priyanka fits well in her mellowed character of a helpless faithful wife who watches her husband fall in love with another lady but deals with it gracefully and honourably. Tanvi Azmi as Radhabai is shown to have extremely opposite relationships with Kashibai and Mastani, where she is extremely fond of the former, she truly hates the latter. Mahesh Manjrekar, Aditya Pancholi and Milind Soman are also there, although the big question is why ! But we don’t mind Milind Soman because he still looks like an Old Spice 😉
The one thing that really lets the movie down is its music. Except ‘Deewani Mastani’, sung by Shreya Ghoshal, every song is more of a lullaby and gives a feeling of déjà vu.
All in all, the movie is a onetime watch for the grandiosity, costumes, passion, colors, dialogues, romance, a little bit of history and Ranveer Singh, who according to us is the actual hero of this film.
Rating – 3.5 Beats
Jaipur Beat 