Spoilers ahead…
Ranveer Singh plays the first half of the title in Bajirao Mastani, but he’s really playing the Sanjay Leela Bhansali leading man. This isn’t a revelatory performance, exactly. After all, Ranveer did play the Sanjay Leela Bhansali leading man in Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram-Leela, and here too, his character, that of the great Maratha warrior, is torn between the pull of a great love (the second half of the title, played by Deepika Padukone) and the pull of family, which includes wife Kashi (Priyanka Chopra). But despite this familiarity, the performance is still an exhilarating mix of fireworks and thunder and lightning, if only because Ranveer Singh is the first leading man in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie who knows what it means to play a Sanjay Leela Bhansali leading man. In just two films, this has already become one of the great actor-director collaborations. Finally, Bhansali has an actor big enough, ballsy enough, mad enough to give full shape to the Gothic-nautanki conceits inside his head.
We see this in the big, ballsy, mad scene in which Bajirao is forced to act as midwife when Mastani is thrashing about with labour pains. (No one will attend to her. The Maratha’s love for this Rajput-Muslim has ostracized her in his community.) He instructs her on how to breathe. He admonishes her to not shout. Yodha ko janam de rahi ho. Dard to hoga hi. She’s giving birth to a warrior, after all. It is going to be painful. Ranveer makes sure we see his pain too – not just here, but also in the scene where he realizes how much he’s hurt the loyal, loving Kashi by refusing to renounce Mastani. He attempts a weak justification, that he didn’t ever compare them (and by extension, that Kashi wasn’t lacking in any respect). Ranveer’s reading of this line – Hum ne aap donon ki kabhi tulna nahin ki – is extraordinary. His face contorts with agony, and you half-expect Kashi to forgive him. What punishment can she mete out to a man who’s already in hell?
Elsewhere, when the Brahmin Establishment refuses to recognize Mastani’s son (who’s been named Krishna), Bajirao looks away and says it doesn’t matter. Henceforth, he’ll call the boy Shamsher Bahadur. It’s another signature Bhansali moment – part rage, part stifled sob, part fuck-you – and there isn’t another actor today who can play this pitch so pointedly. And Bhansali, who’s discovered his inner action lover after Ram-Leela, channels all of Bajirao’s anger and frustration into one of the grandest masala moments I’ve seen, involving a lone solider on a horse and an arrow whizzing towards him – I gasped. Even the steps in the mind-bogglingly choreographed Malhari are action moves – hands slice through the air like swords, the extras circle around in battle formations, and even a word as gentle as satrangi (rainbow) is imbued with irrepressible male energy, with the dancers slicing the space above their heads as though disemboweling the sky. After Ram-Leela’s Tattad tattad and Malhari, one part of me wishes that Bhansali makes nothing but music videos. Dance, to him, is not just an excuse for fun but an extension of character. He may be the only filmmaker today who values space, colour, geometry, the human form. Most others keep cutting away to different angles and make us feel that the song sequence is the work of an editor, but Bhansali’s long takes respect the skills of the dancer, the efforts of the choreographer.
Perhaps even a skirt choreographer. I’m only half-joking, for how else are the swirling costumes in Deewani mastani in such sync? This breathtaking song sequence lies at the other end of the spectrum from Malhari, all feminine grace, with much gentler movements. The other departments contribute heavily as well, cinematography, production design, and especially costume – the outfits of the extras are studded with sequins, and even their bindis are shiny, extending the glass motif of their surroundings. They are in a sheesh mahal, and this echo of Mughal-e-Azam is no accident. Bajirao Mastani is ostensibly based on Raau, a Marathi novel by Nagnath S Inamdar, but the film could just as easily be seen as Bhansali’s ode to K Asif’s epic. Like Marvel fans keep looking out for Easter eggs in the superhero films, fans of Mughal-e-Azam may find themselves playing spot-the-reference.
Deewani mastani doesn’t just stop with the sheesh mahal quote. Just like Akbar saw Anarkali reflected in the mirrors over him – a symbolic depiction of how she will come to surround him, engulf him – Kashi sees reflections of Mastani all around her. If Anarkali’s erotic thrall to Salim was set to the strains of Prem jogan ban ke, by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, in the raag Sohini, Bajirao makes love to Kashi as a similar piece (from the small snatch I caught, I think it’s even the same raag) plays in the background, and the lyrics are similarly suggestive of the plight of the characters. Kaahe tum ab aaye mere dware sauten sang… The picturisation is classic Bhansali. The toned, muscled Bajirao is shirtless – he looks ready to pose for the cover of Manoos World. He’s bathing, and he pours a mug of water over Kashi’s head – she looks back unblinkingly. But even earlier, we’ve had a nod to Mohe panghat pe – here, it’s a Holi song that goes Mohe rang do laal, and Mastani’s palms are not painted with henna patterns but smeared with gulaal. Again, classic Bhansali. Like him or not, he is an auteur – every frame in his films has something that screams his name.
More nods to Mughal-e-Azam (a scene from which was also seen in Saawariya): the pearls that drop from a necklace, the chains that bind Mastani in the final portions, and even the plot itself, which replaces Mughals with Peshwas and Akbar with an equally disapproving Radha Maa (a superb Tanvi Azmi). Like Mughal-e-Azam, this is less a historical than a… romantical. There are clouds of war, but the biggest battles are those of the heart. (Bhansali is unapologetic about this aspect. The title comes with this clarification: “Love story of a warrior.”) Bajirao Mastani, too, is essentially a mundane domestic drama, where brothers and mothers and sons are as much foes as invading armies. And if Asif made the mundane magical through dialogue, Bhansali achieves the transformation through the poetry in his visual conceits. Even when he refers to a concept as modern and Western as cinema, even when he alludes to the nuts and bolts of projection, the physics of light and lenses and reflection, he manages to convince us that it’s something that must have existed in Indra’s court.
The word that many people reach for when they think of Bhansali’s cinema is “beauty” or “grandeur,” but what he packs into his frames goes far beyond cosmetics and ornamentation. It’s not just the chandeliers, the fountains, the calligraphy on the curtains, the murals, the classical Indian colours (like the shade of blue Kashi wears one night, as her husband confirms her suspicions), or the sets costing roughly the GDP of Eritrea. It’s also the image of Bajirao setting out on a boat to meet Mastani on a stormy night – waves lash around him, the boat bobs dangerously, the boatman sways in his seat, but Bajirao stands upright, as though on firm ground. The image says as much about his past as a steadfast warrior as his future as a steadfast lover. Whatever the upheavals, he will not flinch.
The scene also hints that Mastani is water to Kashi’s fire. (We now look at that earlier erotic moment, where Bajirao poured water over Kashi, in a new light.) Bajirao marries Mastani in the rain (each of his objections, she accepts with a “qubool hai,” the words she would have used in a more traditional nikaah), and at the end, when he unites with her, he is borne away by water. In contrast, the scene that defines Kashi is the one where she extinguishes the lamps in her home – and by extension, her relationship with her husband. Early in the film, we see her celebrating his return after a successful military campaign by lighting the lamps in her house – the song is the exquisite semi-classical piece, Albela sajan aayo re; Bhansali also composed the music – and now she’s doing the opposite. Bhansali fills his films with such contrasts. Mastani is likened to a peacock, while Kashi is the swan from a Ravi Varma painting. Mastani is green; Kashi is saffron. Mastani is the moon; Kashi is the sun (even her childhood friend bears the name Bhanu).
These motifs keep recurring in Bhansali’s work, as do the unresolvable love triangles – someone (Hrithik Roshan in Guzaarish, Salman Khan in Saawariya, Aishwarya Rai in Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) is always unavailable. They’re either married or missing or afflicted with something, and this unavailability makes the lovers suffer, pine, smoulder like amorous agarbattis. They exist in a passionate limbo, somewhere between weeping openly and remaining dry-eyed – their eyes are always filled with unshed tears. Many words (gharoor, chand) keep reappearing in Bhansali’s films, but the most significant one is tadap. In an early scene, Kashi is cursed by Bhanu, who has been widowed due to a misjudgment on Bajirao’s part. Bhanu says, “Main apne pati ke liye tadap rahi hoon Kashi. Ek din tum bhi apne pati ke liye tadpogi.” Even the minor characters writhe in romantic agony. Bhanu is doomed to pine for a husband who is unavailable in the most permanent sense.
This curse made me think of Macbeth, and the Shakespearean elements that have been cropping up in Bhansali’s films since Ram-Leela, which was an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. There’s madness here. Hallucinations. Even a crazy-sounding Birnam Wood-like prophecy towards the end, involving a setting sun, a rising moon, and the elements – winds, unseasonal rains, and, yes, more fire and water (arrows of fire fall from the sky around a madman thrashing about in water). There’s a touch of Kurosawa’s Shakespearean adaptations too, especially in the battle scenes. I don’t want to make too much of this, though, for Bhansali’s sensibilities are most certainly Indian – or more specifically, Bengali (Devdas), Goan (Khamoshi, Guzaarish), Gujarati (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Ram-Leela), and now, Maharashtrian. He resuscitates not only images from our past – the woman arching backwards while blowing the crescent-shaped Indian trumpet (this was the Prabhat Studios logo) – but also characters, like the sakhi. When Bajirao turns up at Mastani’s abode during Id, Mastani rushes out, delighted – but the camera, instead of following her right away, pauses to linger on the smile on her loyal attendant’s face.
Bhansali’s males, apart from the leading man, aren’t always the most memorable. Aditya Pancholi’s senior courtier threatens to become a genuine villain, but he disappears quickly. And others – the advisor (Milind Soman) who wants the best for Bajirao, the brother (Vaibbhav Tatwawdi) who resents the hold Mastani has over Bajirao– are nailed to the generic scaffolding propping them up. But even the most minor female roles – Bhanu, the sakhi – are coloured with a shade or two that makes them memorable. The bigger female roles, of course, are spectacular. They’re not much in terms of “characters,” in the sense that they don’t hold many surprises in store, their trajectories seem preordained. But then, Bhansali works best with archetypes (whose fates we already know), and he makes “characters” out of them through his embellishments – the number of roses in Kashi’s hair (three), the number of wounds on Bajirao (twenty-seven). He’s a weaver who transforms cotton saris with zardozi embroidery.
In other words, with a different filmmaker, we might demand more fleshed-out answers to these questions: Why does Bajirao fall for Mastani (and vice versa)? More importantly, how do we know they are in love? But these questions are irrelevant here because we see her sword causing blood to trickle down his neck, and we see him cauterizing a bloody gash on her back. These aren’t war wounds – they’re soul wounds. This, I suppose, is one of the things that keeps some viewers away from Bhansali. The traditional emotions that we expect and receive from “characters” (that we “care” about them, for instance) are not always available with archetypes, and our decision to involve ourselves further with the film becomes a leap of faith – we have to choose to accept the things these people do, the fates that befall them. I couldn’t make this leap of faith in Ram-Leela. I found it difficult, especially in the second half, to see why Ram and Leela were doing the things they did. But Bajirao, Kashi and Mastani do not pose these problems.
Consider Mastani. She’s embellished by the fact that she is a warrior – this aspect informs her character throughout. She makes her entry in military uniform (and only later reveals that she is a woman). She gets the kind of masala dialogues an action-film hero would get. Sample this: Thokar paththar se bhi laga to haath talwar pakadta hai. Even if someone throws a pebble, her hand reaches for the sword. The line proves prophetic, for she keeps fighting till the end. Sometimes, these are active, literal fights – at first, she fights beside Bajirao, and later, she fights off the men who come to kill her. In the former scene, she rides alongside Bajirao and while he looks at her (and who wouldn’t want to keep looking at Deepika Padukone, who’s surely one of the reasons eyes were invented?), she looks straight ahead, focused on the mission – this focus never wavers, especially in the passive fights she puts up after taking up residence in Pune, the home of the Peshwas. She fights with her mother-in-law – it’s a war of words. She fights against expectations of her by going to the naming ceremony of Kashi’s son. She even fights the king (Mahesh Manjrekar), in a manner of speaking, when she refuses to dance.
Now consider Kashi. In a sense, she’s the anti-warrior – that’s her zardozi motif. As we see in an early scene, she can only pretend to go to war – on a pretend horse, waving a pretend sword. Otherwise, she’s very much a “housewife,” a “normal person,” and Bhansali’s boldest move is to focus on her as much as the titular couple. This is very rare in our cinema. You can count on one hand (one of the fingers would belong to Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna) the films that not only deal with adultery but dwell on the after-effects on the utterly blameless person who’s cheated upon. As a result, Kashi walks away with the movie. Priyanka Chopra gets the most sympathetic situations, the most sympathetic lines – it’s a moving performance, covering the gamut from childlike happiness (she sits on her mother-in-law’s lap and sobs when she hears her husband is safe) to spurned-woman bitterness (when she paints herself as the forgotten Rukmani amidst Krishna and Radha). Deepika Padukone, despite her innate luminosity, pales in comparison. Mastani is harder to get into. Apne hi dhun mein mast rehne wali, says Bajirao, and we agree – she’s a little opaque. And Padukone isn’t old-style enough (the way Madhubala or Madhuri Dixit were, say) to elevate an archetype with stylistic flourishes that can constitute a “performance.” Her I’m-the-face-of-Garnier looks (that long neck, that long waist, those long legs) complicate things, especially when she delivers carefully chiseled old-world lines like, “Tujhe yaad kar liya aayat ki tarah / ab tera zikra hoga ibaadat ki tarah.” It was easier accepting her as the gun-toting Leela.
Then again, Leela was the focus of that film – at least, her romance with Ram was. Bajirao Mastani, on the other hand, is less about Bajirao and Mastani than the people who come between them, and the most fascinating scenes focus on these others. At first, we think Radha Maa is your average eye-rolling mother-in-law from a television soap, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Peshwa Thi – but look at her reaction when her son tells her Mastani is pregnant. We expect rage, given her feelings about “polluting” the Peshwa bloodline, but her thoughts, upon receiving this news, aren’t political but personal. She tells him not to tell Kashi, who she loves like a daughter. Even with Mastani, Radha Maa approves of the fact that her son treats her with respect. Her problem is just that Peshwas cannot wear their hearts on their sleeves and keep running off behind half-Muslim women. This is a film with a war backdrop, and its women are the real warriors. Radha Maa fights for her beliefs the way Mastani fights for her place beside Bajirao. And Kashi? In a stunningly staged scene (and that’s saying something in a film filled with stunningly staged scenes), she fights, among other things, the impulse to let Mastani die at the hands of assassins. Back and forth the editing goes, between Mastani’s attempts to save herself and Kashi’s long, troubled walk as she struggles to come to a decision. The film might have been titled Kashi Mastani, even if that does suggest a rather enjoyable pilgrimage site.
Hence, Pinga. On one level, the placement of the song makes little sense, given that it follows a bristling face-off between Kashi and Mastani. It’s Dola re all over again. One minute, Paro (the chand of that film) and Chandramukhi are exchanging sharp words over the man who can never belong fully to either of them. The next, they are dancing in a celebration of that very man. (The choreography, ideally, should have included the L-sign on the forehead.) But looked at another way, these dances do make sense, marking solidarity and sisterhood in stories where the women are far more intriguing than the men. Bajirao Mastani owes as much to Devdas as Mughal-e-Azam, right down to the sighs that sail across space. If Paro, deep in her mansion, felt Devdas’s dying breaths as he lay outside, Mastani, in her prison, knows that Bajirao has fallen. Bhansali is operating at the peak of his powers now, but it may be time he threw himself into something different. I sat up when I heard reports that he’s considering remaking something as rough and rowdy as Khalnayak, and then I thought: Oh wait! At heart, that’s a love triangle too.
KEY:
- Mughal-e-Azam = see here
Copyright ©2015 Baradwaj Rangan. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
MANK
December 21, 2015
Brangan sir, this is betrayal of the worst kind 🙂 And to think that you are the very few who actually understand and appreciate SLB’S aesthetics…. ohh unforgiveable.. I was so looking forward to this review. A SLB film without your review is like an SLB film without over the top melodrama. anyway happy holidays 🙂
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PN
December 21, 2015
OMG! HOW COULD YOU! ?
sniff, sniff. ok, I guess I can manage without reading your review. I feel like Mastani waiting for a glimpse of her Bajirao!
I refreshed the page so many times since Friday… 🙂
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SUNDAR
December 21, 2015
Second PN and MANK here… would have refreshed the page at least 100 times…. the film is being mktd as SLB’s ‘magnum opus’. and no review from you…. Like a true fanboy, haven’t watched the movie. more interested in ur take on the movie than the movie itself.
P.S : Sir, just out of curiosity (with no intention of intruding ur private space), is this break the result of “survivor”s guilt” that you have been talking abt? (it goes without saying, sir, u need not answer this)
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donna
December 21, 2015
Oh, me too…. We will be on break soon, she we see it or not? Disappointed in his last two… Hindi films aren’t in our theaters for very long… what to do… what to do….
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Rahul
December 21, 2015
So, what kind of movies do you watch when you are on a break ?
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Shikhar
December 21, 2015
I agree . Every morning I check if the review is up or not. You didn’t even review the soundtrack this time.😄
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travellingslacker
December 21, 2015
I was highly disappointed… Pasting my FB rant… and a bit more…
Only SLB can turn an undefeated military strategist into that suicidal adolescent from Mumnnabhai’s hospital.
And no, do not fall for the trailer. The battles that you see in the trailer are more or less the ones in the film, hardly anything more. Rest is… as you know… a Marathi Romeo Juliet, a worthy successor of his own Gujju one from 2013.
They mention that he won 40 battles but choose to show only one. Because the glycerin glut of this effete nation demands only teddy bears and heart shaped balloons…
Yes no one can deny his visual flair and also the fact that he is composing great music on his own nowadays… but his obsession with this star crossed love story template is extremely frustrating especially because there are many other things to be explored in this material… The issue is not only with SLB but with Bollywood in general… from Ashoka to Akbar to Bajirao, they just dig out a cliched love story even from the lives of most interesting people…
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brangan
December 22, 2015
SUNDAR: No, no. This is something else altogether. If only life were that simple in terms of cause and effect 🙂
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badri
December 22, 2015
@ travellingslacker: But the movie is named Bajirao Mastani and not Bajirao Ballal Balaji Bhat. The film intended to show only their love story and not the triumphs of Bajirao.
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Shvetal
December 22, 2015
I too kept refreshing this page and even googled “Is Baradwaj Rangan ok?” Am now thankful to know that it is just a break 🙂
As for the movie, it frustrated me as much as the visuals delighted me. Will wait for your review to then give me new ways to think about it, as you always do.
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Punee
December 22, 2015
Thanks for all the likes on my previous comment! 🙂 Hope you feel better soon Baradwaj, I didn’t mean to sound rude 🙂
Ok here are my thoughts on the movie itself.
Like a good SRK fan I watched Dilwale first – it mostly coasted on the charm of SRK and Kads, but I didn’t know what to expect of Bajirao – and my bar was set really low post Dilwale.
But it blew me away. I was thunderstruck the whole time and was sobbing throughout the entire last 15 minutes.
I watched it on the second day, so there was a very ebullient crowd who cheered and roared at Ranveer and Deepika’s entry scenes and applauded every dialogue, but even they were just quiet, absolute pin drop silence during the last 15 minutes. Many people, incuding me – didn’t even get up when the titles started – it was that hypnotising.
Priyanka is good, Deepika is great, but its Ranveer that is outstanding!
It was a truly amazing movie – I can’t even believe its from 2015, it feels like something from 1940. People who like eternal love stories like Pakeezah, Mughal-E-Azam, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam will love it!
The dialogues, the acting, the screenwriting – every minute is throbbing with a passionate love – that no one can stop.
Of course it being SLB even the sets, the clothes and the actors are presented beautifully! (I don’t know why people obsess about these aspects of his films, I always find them secondary and in the service of the story).
The acting was beautiful, Milind Soman, Tanvi Azmi, Priyanka Chopra, – all did their roles well, but Deepika with her luminous beauty and her show of courage was amazing, and the biggest scene stealer was Ranveer Singh. He wasn’t even Ranveer Singh, he was in fact Peshwa Bajirao Ballal Bhat to the T.
I hope he wins all the awards.
PS: I hear post Befikre, that he is going to reprise Sanjay Dutt’s role in SLB’s remake of Khal Nayak. Its like he wants to kill me with his awesomeness 🙂
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Neeraja
December 22, 2015
I think there’s been a misunderstanding. You don’t get a break at this point sir. You. Do. Not.
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
December 22, 2015
Hi Baradwaj Rangan,
Had withdrawal symptoms looking for your review and you choose to entertain us with this red herring… almost had me look up rehabilitation centre numbers… anyway something still better than nothing.
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travellingslacker
December 23, 2015
@Badri
Yes, the movie is still named Bajirao Mastani, NOT Ram Leela… it felt he made it all over again…
Jokes apart, I have mentioned the misleading trailer… why pretend that if he is not even interested in that angle?
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soumyabharathi
December 23, 2015
Hi BR,
Relieved to read the comments above and discover I wasn’t the only addict refreshing this page at regular intervals… But no one understands SLB movies better than you… We, fans of both your writing and SLB movies will wait patiently for this one… I hope you enjoy your break and come back with a review worth this wait…
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kalamurth
December 23, 2015
Waiting and waiting.
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
December 24, 2015
Hi Baradwaj Rangan,
If you are holidaying out of country is there any chance you watched the latest Star Wars installment… if you have… please something on that at least.
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An Jo
December 24, 2015
MILD SPOILERS..
Well then, Bhansali finally has a historical to his name. And I finally have the credit of watching a Bhansali movie on screen – and also kind of liking it. To me, it is not a great movie. But for sure it is a good movie – and far better than the messy, hotchpotch of a movie called Judah Akbar where history and anything pre-fixed to the word ‘story’ went for a toss and the stardom of Aishwarya and Hrithik took over.
The good thing about this film is that Bhansali has at least made an attempt to restrain himself and not get carried away with his indulgences: And this is reflected in how the characters here speak. He has them delivering dialogues in a comparatively controlled-fashion even when they seem to be emotionally mighty weighty. It is actually remarkable and pretty ironic that it is Bhansali who has managed to do that!! Not one character here contorts his or her facial muscles—remember that lady contorting her eye-lashes into a snaky spaghetti in Devdas at the death-scene of Devdas’ father?—and is alarmingly controlled displaying respect to the times and historicity associated with these characters. Acting ‘wild’ might be good when making Spartacus or Nero but not here and it is great fun to see every character respecting the manner in which speech conveyed emotions at that point in time – however light or heavy.
I haven’t read Inamdar’s RAUU [am curious to read it now after this movie] and hence cannot really comment on the ‘escapades’ of Bhansali with available historical records. [Inamdar’s book itself is called a ‘novel.’]. But yes, he makes it clear that he IS on home-ground when it comes to the tag-line of the movie: BAJIRAO MASTAI: The love-story of a warrior. It is a cue to the audience to just treat history as any other story but to treat this movie as THE love story. Coming to the ‘filmy’ part, Bajirao’s introduction is a smart ode to Asif’s that iconic romantic/erotic gesture from Mughal-E-Azam. He used the feather to accentuate the eroticism between Salim and Anarkali. Here, Bhansali uses the feather to display Bajirao’s ‘shastra’ skills! The dismantling of its roots symbolically represents the cutting off of roots of the Mughal Sultanate in Dilli for Bajirao. From here on, the film progresses to show Bajirao’s non-adherence to ‘established’ norms, be they war strategies, his ‘impulses’ on religion, marriage, or relationships.
If there’s one front where Bhansali delivers as he promises, it is the visual arc and narrative of his movies. He painstakingly provides glimpses of the Maratha architecture. Shanivaar Vada, the fort of Shahu Maharaj and the Mastani Mahal are truly unique in the sense that one does not relapse into a déjà-vu regarding the depiction of ‘palaces’. He has captured the architecture to be quite ‘distinct’ from what the Indian audiences are used to when it comes to capturing life of kings in ‘palaces.’ The ‘Aaina Mahal’ is a distraction—stunning of course—and serves nothing but an endorsement of visual superiority of Bhansali’s imagination. The battle scenes are minimal but do not appear as ludicrous as that of Jodhaa Akbar [the battle-scenes there looked as though kids in 2nd grade were rushing and jostling against one another to lay their hands on Hershey’s chocolates]. The aerial views of battle-grounds are well-shot and do convey visually a sense of ‘largeness’ of the impact and import of the battles.
Bhansali loses it in the final act when he goes all out to his pet obsession – man losing a woman and vice-versa to societal blocks – and resorts to a Romeo and Juliet transference. He literally makes Rao’s death a direct cause of the failure of a ‘love’ story. Yes, it is visually stunning to see Rao thrash his free-flowing sword in the face of an imagined enemy carrying ‘black’ flags [a smart move again to not color the flags ‘green’]. But beyond a point, visuals can only stun you — not move you. And this, alas, Bhansali has yet to learn.
There are some fantastic visuals here that carry the film’s arc forward. And in Hi-fi of today, it is only Bhansali that has this almost-extinct talent of making the visuals talk without words. The Brahmans’ ‘bhojan’ scene; the ‘saptami’ pooja scene; the joint ‘aartis’ praying for the welfare of Rao – these are but just a few of the many, many visual splendors the film offers. In the initial battle scene, after Bajirao strides atop two of his soldiers’ shields and atop the elephant’s trunk and slaughter’s Bangash, he gets down and triumphantly faces Mastani while a ‘saffron’ flag flutters right from across his face. Powerful symbolism here. And when it comes to words and rhymes and shaayari, he is superb too. Krishna Bhatt, the Brahman priest-head – a superb Yatin Karyekar [Kamesh of ‘Shanti’ fame]—thunders about Mastani: ‘Arre Ise toh Dargah or Durga ke beech ka pharak bhi nahin pata’. And then Mastani softly ‘thunders’ back: Kesar aur Hare rang ke bare mein toh nahin pata, haan lekin aise log bhe dekhe hain jo rang mein mazhab dekhte hain aur unka zameer ka rang kaala dikhta hain.’ In another scene, Baji Rao makes Brahmans wait but takes his own sweet time to first enjoy Eid feast and then comes to the long-waiting Brahman-feast and brazenly says that he was enjoying Eid feast! Krishna Bhatt is in the background saying ‘ Shiva Shiva.’ He then turns back angrily when Chimmaji – Bajirao’s brother – pleads saying the Brahman community cannot insult the Peshwas and retorts,’ Arre Khairat to Masjid mein bhi milta hain’: A fantastic line here underlining the importance religion as ‘identity’ and ‘self-worth’ in those times. Initially, Bajirao thunders to Shahu Maharaj that he won’t rest until ‘Hindu Swaraj’ – note, he doesn’t say ‘Hindu Samrajya’— is established in Hindustaan. Pretty powerful [by powerful I mean ‘unadulterated’] stuff from Bhansali in these ‘intolerant’ times. But then he again tries political correctness with statements from Baji Rao that paraphrased underline that he isn’t against the ‘religion’ of Delhi-rulers but the ‘’dynasty’ – take that Rahul Gandhi— of Mughal Sultanate. Of course, there is no mention of that dreaded phrase, ‘Hindu Pad Paadshahi’. Marxist ‘historians’ would have you believe that this term only originated from Veer Savarkar. But you know the tricks of the trade.
The greatest glory of BM is that Bhansali brings back those grandiose poetry-laden lines to the Hindi screen after a long, lonnnng time. Sample this: ‘TUJHE YAAD KAR LIYA HAIN AAYAT KI TARAH, AAB TERA ZIKR HOGA IBAADAT KI TARAH.’ Great! Dedh Ishqiya gave folks like me the luxury of dwelling on the Lucknowi ‘tehzeeb’ and this one again gives us the pleasure of going back in time when poetry could be substituted for conversation and conversation for poetry. Another gem: ‘JAB DEEWARON SE JYAADA DOORIYAN DIL MEIN HO JAAYE TOH CHAAT NAHIN TIKTI.’
Coming to performances, I am in two minds about the ‘glories’ that Ranveer is getting. He walks dangerously close on that thin red-line separating his inherent ‘taporiness’ to the ‘gravitas’ required in this role. He succeeds most of the times, but also fails almost the same number of times! His personification of Rao comes across more as ‘chichorapan’ than that of a wily war-fox. However, there are some scenes where he does excel. [Checkout the scene where he first show signs of mental ‘imbalance’]. Priyanka walks out with the meatiest part as a self-suffering ‘legit’ wife. This is author-backed. But to Priyanka’s credit, she does a damn good job. Her first confrontation scene with Deepika’s Mastani is a gem. Also the scene where she comes to offer her saree and other pooja paraphernalia to pray for the husband’s longevity is a gem. Watch her when she dismisses Mastani’s rant about ‘dil ka kya kasoor’ scenario right out of the Mastani Mahal window. Great one there! Deepika, however, comes across as the weakest link amongst these three performers. She just couldn’t convince me as a warrior who HAPPENS to be beautiful and musically gifted. There is a lot of ‘lightness’ to her act and moves that prove to be her undoing.
And PINGA PINGA is the BEST example of Bhansali’s excesses. Absolutely unnecessary, zero value-added song. Just as Bhansali decided to use Madhuri and Aishwarya in Dola Dola, he uses these 2 here. ‘Hey, I got 2 of the hottest heroines of this age. What do I do? Duh, Ping Pong!!’ And then, you have Ranveer’s Rao trying ultra-hard to speak Marathi-accented Hindi when using words like ‘Kudrat’, ‘Aurat’, ‘pharak’ [instead of ‘farak’]. Surprisingly, all other Marathi-speaking court-members speak in normal Hindi, including Priyanka’s Kashibai! It sounds ridiculously stagey and dis-honest. And go figure, every Marathi-speaking character mentions ‘Poona’, instead of ‘Pune.’ ‘Poona’ is what the Brits would have us believe. Nobody Marathi called/calls it Poona.
One of the fantastic, long-remembering scenes of this movie to me remains that scene between Tanvi Azmi’s Radhabai and Priyanka’s Kashi Bai where they are stitching a ‘saffron’ cloth. In a rare moment of ‘tenderness’, when they are stitching a pretty long yarn of ‘saffron’ they bond with each other saying, ‘Arre Hara rang he seel dete’! And they laugh away hiding beneath years and labyrinths of pain while Tanvi wipes away a tear.
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ravenus1
December 24, 2015
Bajirao Mastani was one of the better Sanjay Leela Bhansali movies I’ve seen, reaching closest to the Great Bollywood Melodrama he aspires towards. Of course, it’s an exhausting and schizoid experience (that’s granted with SLB). There is zero subtlety (Tanvi Azmi is a stand-in for Lalita Pawar) or regard to pacing and continuity in the writing and presentation. The romance elements work only fitfully. Several parts are like a TV serial with an unlimited budget. The item numbers, both male and female, are excreably bad. But the good bits are pleasantly engaging, with some vintage crowd-pleasing dialogue-baazi. Ranveer Singh does immensely well in his part carrying the machismo, without coming across as a douchebag (Reminds me, I still have to watch Lootera). I especially liked the ending, which takes inspiration from Throne of Blood and Kagemusha, but not in a cheap ripoff manner.
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Rakesh
December 24, 2015
Poetic visuals notwithstanding, what an outstanding soundtrack from SLB. Maratha flag waving Priyanka Chopra against a crimson sky, set to the tune of Albela Sajan, is a visual that has been burnt upon my memory. Peshwa Bajirao dancing like a drunk chimpanzee, to that bouncy ditty Malhari, felt bizarre.
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Punee
December 25, 2015
An Jo: “Initially, Bajirao thunders to Shahu Maharaj that he won’t rest until ‘Hindu Swaraj’ – note, he doesn’t say ‘Hindu Samrajya’— is established in Hindustaan. Pretty powerful [by powerful I mean ‘unadulterated’] stuff from Bhansali in these ‘intolerant’ times. But then he again tries political correctness with statements from Baji Rao that paraphrased underline that he isn’t against the ‘religion’ of Delhi-rulers but the ‘’dynasty’ – take that Rahul Gandhi— of Mughal Sultanate.”
That is not political correctness. Its equivalent to saying that you have no problem with Christianity but you want Hindu swaraj – during British times. Isn’t that what Bal Gangadhar Tilak said? You don’t want a ruler who just takes your taxes and does nothing for you, doesn’t understand you. Simple.
“Surprisingly, all other Marathi-speaking court-members speak in normal Hindi, including Priyanka’s Kashibai! It sounds ridiculously stagey and dis-honest. And go figure, every Marathi-speaking character mentions ‘Poona’, instead of ‘Pune.’ ‘Poona’ is what the Brits would have us believe. Nobody Marathi called/calls it Poona.”
Please give him some credit. SLB who is obsessed to the point of being fetishistic, made a cast choice where Ranveer would have the strongest accent, and the rest wouldn’t. It is supposed to be operatic. It is supposed to be old-world. HE worked with accent trainers for it! (See this Tanvi Azmi interview where she mentions it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvNHPgDMJMM ). Just because YOU didn’t like the accent doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. You should have heard the cheering screams to every dialogue by Bajirao esp “Cheeteh ki chaal etc etc” in Gaiety Galaxy (Bandra).
Also I watched the movie thrice. Bajirao says “Pune ka bachcha bachcha aapke irade jaanta hai” to the Nizan of Hyderabad. Kashibai never says the word nor does Radha Ma. The three other people who say the word are the Raja of Chattrasal, Ruhani Begum and Mastani. And they say it as Poona. Which is FYI, not just a British pronuounciation, but the way everyone in the south refers to the place as well.
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tonks
December 25, 2015
Sadhana dies. RIP.
http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/yesteryears-bollywood-star-sadhana-dies-at-72/
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Utkal
December 25, 2015
Back from Bajirao Mastani. Loved it unequivocally. Will write about it in the evening. In the meanwhile here is a poem I wrote quite smetime back, based on hazy memories of even more ancient times.
SHAFURA
I saw her at the reception desk
Of the real estate firm
When I was on the lookout for an apartment.
Her skin was translucent.
And it glowed like a glass jar at night
With a swarm of glowworms in it.
For no reason I asked her name,
‘Shafura’, she answered without a demur.
Met her on the street one day.
She stopped and I said hello.
‘I have a brother, Shafaqat,
And he loves to play football’,
She said without any reason.
She was wispy thin.
And the saree wrapped around her
Like wind around a tree.
No I did not love her.
Or did I make myself believe
That I did not?
Because her name was Shafura
And her brother was called Shafaqat?
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Miss Anthropy
December 26, 2015
Is anyone else a bit dismayed by the lack of praise for PChops? I thought she was wonderful in what was essentially a thankless role. As for Bajirao, I felt no sympathy for the title characters at all; what they did amounts to an extramarital affair, so… Meh. No idea why their descendants are so proud of this idiocy. 😛
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Punee
December 26, 2015
@Miss Anthropy: I hope you realize that Bajirao and Kashibai were married at the age of 13 and had their son (Nanasaheb) at age 14. This is child marriage and children can’t give their consent while getting married- so if we look at things through the prism of today’s legality (I don’t, but you brought it up so…)- Kashi and Bajirao’s marriage is the one which is illegal. Ideally he should have divorced Kashi but that was not a concept that existed back then.
When Bajirao became the Peshwa he was all of 19 years old. He met Mastani at age 25 which is the normal age at which people should be falling in love. When he died he was 39. He fought 40 battles meanwhile, winning all of them. That is 2 battles a year.
It would be apt to keep the context of the times in mind.
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MANK
December 26, 2015
Priyanka Chopra gave the best performance in the film IMO. She simply blows away both Ranveer and Deepika in the scenes she has with them. Deepika is terribly miscast in the film. She neither looks the character or plays it well. Her dialogue delivery is embarrassing. The film should have been called bajirao kashi instead of bajirao mastani
I have seen the film twice now and liked it better a second time. I liked it the first time with certain disappointments. Now I have accepted the film warts and all. It goes without saying that this isn’t Bhansalis best film. That remains saawariya, at least a full execution of bhansali’s unique Vision – whether one likes that film or not. This film is almost a hopscotch of conflicting visions. What Brangan said about Ramleela applies here too – that bhansali used to have a great vision, now he only has great visuals. There are times when film takes flight as a spectacular baroque kurosawa or fellini epic, other times, it sinks low to the state of sas-bahu, doosri aurat mega serials.
the film’s strengths are a spectacular overall visual aesthetic, priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh and a fantastic supporting cast – god who knew milind soman could do so well, and some really good dialogues. It’s after a long time I really clapped at some of the dialogues,delivered by actors – especially Ranveer and deepika – who know how to deliver them. I have the same mixed feelings about ranveer as I had about the film. There are scenes where he is superb and then there are scenes where he is a little off. But I liked him much better a second time. I think bajirao was a rock star among the Marathas and Ranveer plays him like a rock star. He struts, ruts, swaggers, shouts, he stomps like an elephant – its a big performance and I do feel he pulls it off with style in the end. especially some of the punch dialogues. He reminded me a lot of Peter O’Toole in Becket and Lion in winter. The film did remind a lot of lion in winter, with powerful monarch at the center obsessing about a younger woman, and the wife character of Eleanor is split into Tanvi azmis and PC’s characters. I wished the music was better. SLB has a great music sense, but is not a good music composer. Music is just not in the league of HDDCS or Saawariya and some songs are not necessary at all, especially pinga and Malhari
As for SLB as filmmaker, well all his trademarks are there in the film. His films are always a mixture of indigenous Indian art and literature. Folk theatre, nautanki, Rang manch, the epics and its all there in the film. Sometimes it does make some of the scenes look silly – like where bajirao subdues the nizam or when he walks into Kashi’s new home in the beginning. But in Ranveer and Priyanka, he finally has the actors to pull of his sensibilities without coming across as stupid – Which was the earlier case with Salman,aishwarya and SRK. And unlike his earlier films, it’s a very tightly edited film, at least the first half is, even though he loses control a little bit in the second. I hope he had toned down the mughal e azam references, they are too many in the film. But all said and done, its a great effort and consolidates his position as one of pre eminent visual poets of Hindi cinema.
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Helena
December 27, 2015
@ MANK
I beg to differ, and after having seen the movie five times already I can stick comfortably to my first impressions. Kashi’s character is definitely much more interesting and easy to relate to than her rival’s. She is a cheated wife and has to struggle with herself which is always a huge advantage for an actor because such a dynamic character will always have the public on her side. Priyanka plays it beautifully, but her Kashi doesn’t give me any particular feeling that I am watching a period movie – it could easily be something contemporary, of course barring the cultural context. Deepika is wonderful in her one-dimensional role and makes the best of it. Her expressions are subtle and don’t strike a single false note. I disagree on her dialogue delivery, I find it smooth and enchanting. Her tears are genuine even if they are probably glycerine-induced. She makes me believe that apart from seeing a period movie I am watching an old-world actress which is very rare nowadays. But maybe as firangi I have a different approach to it.
One of the friends with whom I went to the cinema last week told me that Bajirao Mastani was the first movie ever, i.e. in any language, that he had seen twice in the theater. He considers seeing it for the third time.
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Punee
December 28, 2015
Helena: I agree completely on Deepika’s Mastani. Just because she is not a morally complex character doesn’t mean she is not a beautiful character. I found her to be idealistic and earnest. A woman who has accepted her fate of being tossed around by the vagaries of human machinations.
I was just discussing this with someone the other day that in a lot of films of SLB one person is the “mor” i.e Peacock. The person who doesn’t care for the world, the person just consumed by love and passion and arrogance in their own beauty.
In HDDCS it was Aishwarya’s Nandini – she is seen dancing with a peacock and like a peacock.
In Ram Leela it was Ranveer’s Ram and in Bajirao Mastani it is Deepika’s Mastani- she is even referred to as “morni” by one of the prostitutes in the place they send her to.
Agreed with you on Priyanka, her acting was not on an operatic level, it could be the same Priyanka from Kaminey or any of the other films where she plays a Maharashtrian, but that is not a flaw in the writing, it is the limit of Priyanka’s acting. Still I wasn’t bothered by it, because I loved Bajirao and Mastani and Radha Ma, NanaSaheb and Chimaji Apa, even Krishna Bhat being played out by such operatic large scale actors.
I fail to understand how Kashibai has got more public sympathy despite living in a hermetically sealed palace when it was Mastani who faced all kinds of tortures and troubles, multiple attempts on her life etc. Maybe they think she deserved it
The final word for me though is that SLB said in an interview that despite Ranveer’s fabulous playing of Bajirao, it is Deepika’s Mastani that is his favorite, she played it like Waheeda Rehman or Meena Kumari…
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MANK
December 28, 2015
Helena, lets just skip the firangi part here 😛 The thing is, that i dont think Deepika’s character is one dimensional. Rather its her performance that makes it comes through like that. The character has lot of dimensions and hidden nuances which she simply fail to bring it to the fore. She is a warrior, danseuse, princess and she falls madly for this married man enough to go to his palace without his knowledge and have herself insulted repeatedly. she never conveys that madness, that obsession that force her into this act. i never felt it anyway. Yes as a jilted wife, Kashi has our sympathies, but that just isnt that makes Priyanka’s performance come alive. Just take the scene where Ranveer comes to meet her before going for the final battle and she confronts him about his adultery. She says that if he had asked her for her life, she would have given it away happily, but he just took away her pride. Now the way she delivers that line , especially the word ‘Gurroor’, she feels it and make us believe in it. Just the way her face conveys the pain. she finds that perfect beat for that line – both literally and emotionally even though she does it subtly. i find that lacking in Deepika’s performance. She just goes emotionless in all the subtle scenes. As you mentioned Kashi has our sympathies, so it required a really good actress to pull the role of Mastani off as she has the odds stacked against her and Deepika is just not that. I am surprised you find her old world, because she looks and feels far too modern for me as opposed to Priyanka who has that old world charm.
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Arjun
December 28, 2015
she played it like Waheeda Rehman or Meena Kumari…
ugh! ROFL
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Punee
December 29, 2015
Arjun: Interesting that an “ugh” and “ROFL” is all the argument you can muster 🙂
MANK: Do you really think that Deepika is not an accomplished enough actor to be able to play the character as it deserved? Presuming that because she didn’t play it as you wanted means that she didn’t play it as it deserved to be is unjust.
Just back from watching it for the 4th time though. And loved Mastani more and more, in fact, she has inspired me in my personal life. And the last 15 minutes of the movie, from the time that Aayat begins to play until the end- priceless.
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brangan
December 29, 2015
Punee: Presuming that because she didn’t play it as you wanted means that she didn’t play it as it deserved to be is unjust.
This is about the statement in general, not any particular performance — but how can you you call this unjust?
How one “wants” a character to be played is very much a factor in how one evaluates a performance.
How one “wants” events to unfold is very much a factor in how one evaluates a book or a movie.
How one “wants” a tune to develop is very much a factor in how one evaluates a song.
This thrilling subjectivity is the very essence of art evaluation — and what matters in film criticism (or any other criticism) isn’t WHAT one thinks, but HOW one explains or defends one’s thinking.
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Punee
December 29, 2015
BR: What I meant was that MANK’s comments were assuming that Deepika did a shoddy job as if she doesn’t know her craft! Criticising a bad actor like say Sophie Choudhry and a good actor like Deepika Padukone is a different matter. Why would one assume that she acted badly? Why not the more benevolent assumption that this was her brief from the director and she did as he required?
For eg: I disliked Dilwale, but I won’t say SRK didn’t play the character of Kali as it deserved to be 🙂 Because I come from a point where I know he is a competent, nay good actor and will do the best he can in the role provided and the direction given to him.
Re:
“How one “wants” a character to be played is very much a factor in how one evaluates a performance.
How one “wants” events to unfold is very much a factor in how one evaluates a book or a movie.
How one “wants” a tune to develop is very much a factor in how one evaluates a song.”
The only people who can “want” are the creators of art. The rest of us accept it or reject it as it is.
As an artist myself, I loathe people who say “You should have done it like this”, I mean, just say you don’t like it/hate it/loathe it/despise it, give your reasons and GTFO!
People who imagine that they know better than the artist (especially if that artist is SLB or even if that “artist” is Sajid Khan) should go and create art themselves.
I understand that mine is an unpopular opinion 🙂
PS: Still awaiting your review!!! 🙂 🙂
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MANK
December 29, 2015
As an artist myself, I loathe people who say “You should have done it like this”, I mean, just say you don’t like it/hate it/loathe it/despise it, give your reasons and GTFO!
People who imagine that they know better than the artist (especially if that artist is SLB or even if that “artist” is Sajid Khan) should go and create art themselves.
Punee,Good god, such anger , such contempt for the views of us lesser mortals.You remind me of jack nicholson from A few good men 🙂
either just say and GTFO or pick up a gun and stand opposed , ufff……
Assuming that’s your picture on your profile, i would say the picture does not do justice to your temprament 😛
I wanted to engage with you further on your comments to clarify some misconceptions you have about my views, but alas, since i am not going to\able to create great art on my own,well i suppose there is no need for further engagement between us
P.s. i did notice something in common between us. i am a madhuri bakth too (as in Madhuri Dixit,now thats a great star actress. she would have pulled of mastani in style 😛 )
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brangan
December 29, 2015
Punee: Wow, there are so many things in your comment I want to get back about, but primarily, there is something called the sensibility of the audience/recipient/rasika that is as valid as the sensibility of the creator.
These two may be in sync or not — this doesn’t mean either one is wrong. But the viewer, ultimately, makes a call not on the basis of what the creator intended but on the basis of how he or she “received” the message. And this depends on the internal circuitry of the viewer, which determines what one “wants” or “expects.”
This is NOT the same as someone saying “you should make the movie I want to see.” Very different things.
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Rahul
December 29, 2015
*gets popcorn *
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Arjun
December 30, 2015
This is NOT the same as someone saying “you should make the movie I want to see.” Very different things.
Or saying everybody should like the actress that I like, or asking critics to go and make a movie first criticising the film
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Punee
December 30, 2015
BR: I agree with all of what you say, especially the last line, but with some reservations. Indeed while it’s true that one walks in with certain expectations (though I have minimal to next to zero expectations, I like to watch films with no pre-conceived notions at all), I disagree that those expectations are as valid as the creators’. Nope.
Without the creator you wouldn’t be seeing the film he made of which you have expectations.
And of course, as a viewer or consumer your expectations are not wrong but to demand that they be adhered to, which is what a lot of people do – is unacceptable.
That comes from the false premise of assuming that your expectations of an artwork are equivalent to those of its creator. It’s extremely presumptuous, methinks, to imagine that as an audience who lives with a movie for a couple of hours we know better than the creator who lived with it for years.
One wouldn’t even presume to tell a mason how to do his job, but somehow all artists are up for grabs.
What I am advocating may not particularly appeal to the modern culture of we are all equal, everyone wins,here’s your participation prize sensibilities, but then I already mentioned that it’s an unpopular opinion and I am quite fine with that 🙂
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Punee
December 30, 2015
Oh and MANK: I just saw your comment, apologies for not replying earlier. I usually am so eager to read and consume every word written on BR’s pages (I discovered it because I was THIRSTING for some good write-ups about Ram-Leela 2 years back- I don’t read anyone else’s review, though I glance through Anupama Chopra’s reviews of Ranveer’s films), and I know your name (moniker?) because I have read and re-read your many comments on very many films since then.
I guess I wasn’t prepared to see Deepika’s Mastani being trashed as she is, and your comment about how “she never conveys that madness, that obsession that force her into this act. ” just made me furious 🙂 I mean her character inspired me to break-up with my boyfriend! I identified and was inspired that intensely by her portrayal of Mastani!
Apologies. I didn’t mean the GTFO to you (or anyone here!) in particular, it was an example of a comment I give in general to people who are wishy-washy about how I could have or should have done this or that (in my art) instead of coming out and saying they hate it 🙂
I would be glad to discuss anything you wish to in further detail 🙂 If you still want to though 🙂 Here’s a lesser known clip of Madhuri dancing in a gujarati film to make up for me being Jack Nicholson-ey 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmnPbt9d2LI
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axba
December 30, 2015
Piggy chops all the way. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
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Qalandar
December 30, 2015
Darn Baradwaj, I came looking for your review of the film but it still isn’t up 😦 I saw it a couple of days ago and had mixed feelings:
http://qalandari.blogspot.com/2015/12/bajirao-mastani-hindi-2015.html?m=1
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Utkal
December 30, 2015
” Khubsoorat toh aap pehle bhi thay
Ab jo ishq bhi karna sikh liya aapne”
My original couplet to Sanjay Leela Bhansali on his learning to marry narrative energy to visual elegance, post RamLeela.
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MANK
December 30, 2015
Punee, Glad to hear that you like reading my comments. 🙂 you must understand i have nothing personal against Ms.Padukone. but i will be honest and say that i dont think she is A very gifted actress. Not in the mold of Sridevi, Madhuri, Kajol or say Ranveer or Ranbir, who are all gifted and has that inborn talent that helps them coast through their roles effortlessly and in many case without the help of good scripts or a good enough directors. Priyanka chopra has that certain amount of gift.
Deepika, i wouldnt say she is talentless – i mean she isnt aishwarya rai or Katrina kaif bad – is someone who is learned it on the job and by experience, she has become a rather good performer or at least developed a good comfort zone for playing certain roles. She was really good in Tamasha. but in a role like this, which has hidden nuances and also require great histrionics, she is both warrior and danseuse, it require her to rise above the script or go beyond the director’s support and create a fully developed character, i would put it mildly and just say i was not very impressed by her effort.Then there is the matter of her voice or her voice rhythms, which i find very modern and just doesnt sit well in a period piece. So when she says ‘tujhe yaad kar liya hai ayat ki tarah….’ line which is really this divine romantic line, it doesnt touches me as it should.
I am not saying her acting is bad in the scene. Not just that,I ts not only in her scenes that i feel her ineffectiveness. when Ranveer says that ‘Jab jungle mein sherni apne bachche ko janam deti hai to …..’ line, thats a good punchline, but doesnt work in the scene for me, because it never comes across through her character up until that time that she is any sort of jungle ki sherni. so i am just saying it from my perspective which is the only perspective i know. i dont think i can or (rather there exist) any general accepted perspective by which you can measure this. I found her ineffective in that role but that doesnt mean that she gave a bad performance or everybody else has to dislike her
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MANK
December 30, 2015
Punee, I understand how possessive and sensitive artists are about their art and any criticism of it but still i thought you were over reacting , until i saw this anyway…
I mean her character inspired me to break-up with my boyfriend! I identified and was inspired that intensely by her portrayal of Mastani!
I see. so there lies the problem. your sympathies for the character (and the actress potraying it) has become empathy as if all 3 of you were one and same, enough to break up with your boyfriend – which is startling btw, given the nature of the film and character of Mastani, but i guess its a personal issue so.. 😦 😦 – . so any comments\attacks on them has become personal for you as if you yourself is being under attack. so now i understand the context of your angst,fury… You will get over it soon, i hope 🙂
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MANK
December 30, 2015
Reg:. Why would one assume that she acted badly? Why not the more benevolent assumption that this was her brief from the director and she did as he required?
Well this is a complex subject. where would you draw the line then? If a student fails the exams, you dont blame the teacher for teaching badly. even though that might not be the exact analogy for relationship between director and actor. but still.
Bhansali’s characters are always dense. there are subtexts and layers. an actor cannot just read the script and take the directions from the director to play.There is something that the actor himself finds between the director and the script. otherwise you end up like Salman in HDDCS. that characters anguished monologues with his dead father was turned into some kind of stand up comedy routine
Oh and thanx for the madhuri link. loved it. never knew she danced in a gujarati movie 🙂
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MANK
December 30, 2015
Utkal, so i assume that your 5000 word review would come out as couplets, 50 words at a time 🙂
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Prakash
December 30, 2015
@Rahul
*gets popcorn. What does it mean? Many people have liked it. I don’t understand?. My English is not very good
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mohanee
December 30, 2015
@MANK: Is it really fair to call Kajol gifted? I haven’t really seen her in a wide enough range of performances to justify that tag. And I think Ranvir has had extensive training in theatre. No wonder he is so effortless. Ranbir I find talented only within certain roles. I don’t find him suitable in roles like, say Bajirao or even Bombday Velvet. And the hype around him really detracts average viewers such as myself who are put off by the fawning over him or over a Kajol.
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Arjun
December 31, 2015
Range & gift, quite different. Gift does not automatically equal range. Parineethi is more gifted than Priyanka but don’t have piggy chops range, ie not yet
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mohanee
December 31, 2015
i thought range is part of the “gift” people keep talking about. Ideally, to me having the “gift” implies you can inhabit multiple characters, no matter how disparate they are from each other and from your self. Moreover, you can appear convincing while you do so. I think the inherent look of a person comes into play here. For instance, Ranbir can try to look convincing doing a Besharam and work very hard on the role, but his appearance goes against him. He looks like a school boy in a school play and that makes his performance seem, well, like a performance. I think Ranvir (or even Sushant) is luckier (or “gifted”) in that aspect because he can be made to look convincingly lecherous, awful, or an upper-class city boy. And I think regardless of the “gift” people talk about, you have to work very hard to be convincing in the roles you take up and unfortunately, you will always come across at least a few parts where no matter how hard you try, you just don’t appear convincing to the audience. I think this would be true of all time great actors and actresses as much as of lower rung performers one finds in Bwood. And I find this talk of “gift” esp around actors and actresses who are plain lazy or too happy playing stars like Kareena or Kajol very disrespectful to people who work their assess off in playing their parts, be it Naseer, or Amitabh (he is known to be a very hard worker) or even SRK (he was trained by the legendary Barry John and despite his recent preoccupation with his stardom, he does appear to take his work of acting seriously and work hard even if he has little to show for in his recent work) or Sushant or their ilk.
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Rahul
January 1, 2016
Prakash , here is the meaning I intended
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=get+the+popcorn
The questions regarding authorial intent (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorial_intent) have been raised many a time in this space and other forums I peruse like imdb . i thought i had a lot to say when I realized that being on either side of this debate is like discovering / rejecting God (one needs to have an a-ha moment), and to have someone discard the notion of authorial intent via discussions is not something I have the stomach for. That said, I know Messrs. BR and MANK and Ms Punee are made of sterner stuff, and I am and would be, enjoying the back and forth from the fences. Hence the popcorn.
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Cinemomo
January 1, 2016
Hi Baradwaj-
Been a fan of yours for several years. Reading your articles has inspired me to think, reflect and write about movies. My thoughts are on the below blog. Would love to have you critique not just the movie, but my writing too (on all movies I have written so far).
https://cinemomo.wordpress.com/
Thanks,
-Anuj
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Prakash
January 1, 2016
@Rahul,thanks. I did feel it. I am just beginning to understand urban dictionary. Thanks again. Looks like show is over. You can join
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brangan
January 1, 2016
The review is up… the others should follow soon. But thanks so much for keeping the discussion going.
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MANK
January 1, 2016
Finally Brangan, the review we were waiting for. Thanks. And a what an epic piece it is. Mazaa agayaa yaar. Zubanallah
I am glad you mentioned the gajanana song sequence. Just terrific. Like the baptism climax of godfather, a religious ritual intercut with violence. The color, the music and the expressions on Priyanka’s face just building the suspense to an unbearable level. All adding to An extraordinary cinematic experience
P.s. Seen the film for the third time now and Ranveer s performance just keep growing in stature with every view. totally addictive stuff
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Vanya
January 1, 2016
Wow, BR. I’m one of those people for whom Bhansali does absolutely nothing at all, albeit not for the reason you suggested here. But I had been waiting eagerly for the movie to release just to read your write-up, and boy did you bring it. I mean, “gothic-nautanki”? That is all.
Btw, I know you find it strange when people read your review before watching the movie, but with Bhansali’s movies this order of events greatly enhances my viewing experience, as your perspective resonates with his in a way mine cannot. Your review acts like anaglyph glasses, so to speak, without which it’s impossible to fully appreciate the movie as it was intended.
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marees
January 1, 2016
I remember watching Devadas & it seemed Bhansali makes the cardinal mistake of not keeping the viewer absorbed by the screenplay and in anticipation of what comes next – an anti-RajaMouli if you can describe him so.
It is a shame because, once the viewer starts disengaging from the experience then she/he starts thinking about all the flaws which most movies have. That spoils the entire movie watching experience.
Reading various reviews of Bajirao Mastani, I don’t get the impression that Bhansali has changed.
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abishek
January 1, 2016
sir
can SLB be taken as mani ratnam + shankar at some instances? the grandeur,the craft, etc.. aren’t they somewhat similar?
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Arjun
January 1, 2016
The review gives me a wierd feeling of dejavu. Why does it look like MANK’s comments remixed?
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udhaysankar
January 1, 2016
Abhishek: SLB addresses emotions with grandeur, craft and visuals. Shankar likes to keep throwing lowbrow stuff (that may or may not serve the story in hand) at you till you become exhausted and start wondering how better things could have been.
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mohanee
January 1, 2016
Brangan, much like Bhansali’s movies, your writing is very layered and I have to keep coming back to it to find newer details I’d missed in an earlier reading. Personally, I have long lost the patience to sit through movies, particularly in a movie theatre, and I likely won’t ever watch these longish movies anyway, but I am glad you write about them. Reading your writing helps me indulge my fondness for movies, esp. hindi movies, as well as my fondness for reading. And best of all, I don’t have to actually watch the movies themselves 😀
I am glad Bhansali has you as an interested viewer. Even though his work does little for me (to be fair, I haven’t mustered up the patience to watch his movies and stay engaged throughout), I now appreciate his meticulous approach and his sincere commitment to his work, and his innate ability. In a world where “KJos” and the rest of the self-proclaimed greats bandy about their half-baked work as some sort of classic, he quietly works in his lone corner piecing together film after film, just grateful that he has the opportunity to make the type of movies he wants to. I respect that.
Thanks again for the lovely bit of writing – I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been coming back to your blog just to read about this movie 😀
Happy New Year to you and the blog!
Cheers,
Sev
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Rohit Sathish Nair
January 2, 2016
More than relieved to know that you have bounced back… with a BANG!
Caught this on Christmas Eve, my first SLB movie, and I must say, Baddy, barring most of the allusions and references to his previous films and Mughal-E-Azam, my observations were very similar to yours.
Just you making a mention of the ‘Gajanana’ sequence and that of him catching the arrow gave me goosebumps all over again!!!
Should it be : “Director and STARS put up…” as you say that PC walks away with the movie?
About the conflict points: Barring Bajirao’s mother, they don’t seem to be a formidable threat to the couple for most of the movie, and all of a sudden, they turn out to be unstoppable (Can’t say time flows very smoothly in this film, too)
The character that unsettled me the most was that of his eldest son, Nanasaheb. We are given a bare glimpse of him (in some random scene, I guess) and later, all of a sudden he comes back into the big picture. He becomes the only one who wouldn’t back off even when Radhabai and Chimaji have mellowed their stance. The stepson-stepmother clash was juicy enough and should have served as ground for strong melodrama, but it’s somewhat hard to digest here. Ayush Tandon’s portrayal of this character doesn’t help much too. He is supposed to be this menacing guy who drives the last nail in the coffin, but some part of me was always screaming: “Shoo, kid!”
PS: Would like more of those occasional reviews of Malayalam movies, Baddy. Why don’t you try Charlie?
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Akhilan
January 2, 2016
“He’s a weaver who transforms cotton saris with zardozi embroidery”.
This applies to your review BR. Read it over and over again just to appreciate what you’ve done here. Simply beautiful and a work of art. What a way to kickstart 2016!! Great to have you back and wishing you and everyone on the blog a very HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!
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Punee
January 2, 2016
Finally!! Thanks BR: I swear your descriptions had me shivering with unshed tears (yes, now you know why I am an unabashed SLB fan!), and though I disagree with you on Kashi vs. Mastani (as usual) I loved your analysis. I am going to watch the movie at least a couple of more times though, so will look out for some of the production values you mentioned that I didn’t notice because I was driven mad by my emotions the last 4 times that I have watched it.
MANK: Ha! Glad you liked the Gujarati number- I am a trueblue Madhuri Bhakt, loved her since I saw her in Tezaab at age 2! 🙂 After that I insisted to my mom that I be taken to watch every single piece of film reel she is ever on 🙂
Yes, I meant that Mastani empowered me to break up with my humdrum, society-approved, 2bhk, 2cars (one small, one big) boyfriend for whom I felt zero passion – I was settling. And now I don’t want to settle anymore.
Re: Deepika’s portrayal of the character I am no longer as upset by people’s reaction to Mastani as I was before, because I keep remembering that the last time I watched the movie there were two 10 year old girls in the seats next to me – who were sobbing at that last scene when she trashes against the chains that bind her. I am glad that there were some uncynical earnest people who cried for for her! I shall make do with that.
About Deepika’s career trajectory or talent, I wouldn’t know how to judge – I like her the most in films most people don’t care for- Lafangey Parindey & Break Ke Baad and of her popular ones I like Chennai Express, Bajirao Mastani, Love Aaj Kal and Tamasha… but I am a Madhuri fan, I see that larger-than-life MOVIESTAR aspect in Deepika that I used to see as a kid in Madhuri – its very rare and very earnest, like she takes it seriously. I hope she never loses it.
Also I disagree that Salman was bad in HDDCS – I think it is his best work after Khamoshi 🙂
Re: Kajol being gifted, I think she used to be super super gifted because she was coming from a real place, an honest place – the last place I liked her in was the wierdly bad- U, Me Aur Hum – there’s a song, Maine To Manga Tha Saheli Jaisa Saiyya – where she’s gooood! But post that MNIK and Dilwale – I felt she is trying to coast along on sheer star power and star jodi (speaking as a lifelong fan of DDLJ who watched it again in the SRK festival at PVR on 17th Dec, 2015!), and is no longer coming from a honest, good, earnest place. The contrast between her in DDLJ and Dilwale was ever so stark, because SRK seems to still take it all so seriously…
Rahul: Thanks for putting a word to the concept I spoke of – interesting. I shall read up more on it! Super thank you!
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Zico Ghosh
January 2, 2016
Did you see a shift in Bajirao’s behaviour, well into the last hour, when he starts getting more erratic? He starts drinking more, has altercations with family members and ministers. He starts losing interest in his kingly duties. I felt he also starts using a lot more Urdu words, he becomes some sort of drunk, mad lover(who also falls ‘sick’) who is getting increasingly aware how doomed their love is. I feel the title of the film also comes into play once the film enters this stage. It’s not Jodha-Akbar, where they are merely names of King and Queen, the protagonists. The title Bajirao Mastani has a poetic connotation, if one thinks of Mastani as the adjective used Hindi film songs.
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MANK
January 2, 2016
Zico ghosh, its no accident that bajirao becomes erratic in the end. It’s the betrayal of his family drives him to it. He realises that his mother was behind the attack on mastani and child and that makes him go mad and the fact that his family and community will never accept her and his child. He has to renounce his peshwa post to be with them. which he does. That also makes him more isolated and dejected – which is something that is not explored fully in the film – as he is somebody who relishes the power of peshwagiri. as for more Urdu words, it is obvious since he is spending more time with mastani than he is with his family or his courtiers, he would start speaking like her
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Prema
January 2, 2016
Mastani was not one-dimensional in the film. She is the other woman in a crude sense, but she is depicted as the purest in a film where all three leads are heroic. She is not possessive of her lover or jealous of his affections. She is not a child. The scene in the courtesans’ rooms where she realizes how she has been demeaned, but turns to practicing with her sword to feel familiar and in control again … it was just beautiful. I just loved the movie and all its characters. I don’t think any of them underperformed. Maybe Deepika needs to work on her delivery of heavy impactful dialogue but her reactions and expressions were marvelous.
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Utkal
January 2, 2016
My Nominations and Winners from Bollywood for 2015
a.BEST FILM
1. Bajirao Mastani
2.Piku
3.Badlapur
4. Talvar
5. Masan
b.BEST DIRECTOR
1.Bajirao Mastani: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
2.Talvar: Meghna Gulzar
3. Piku: Shoojit Sircar
4. Badlapur: Sriram Raghvan
5. Masaan: Neeraj Ghaywan
c. BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Talvar: Vishal Bharadwaj
2. Piku: Juhi Chaturvedi
3. Bajrangi Bhaijaan: Vijayendra Prasad, Kabir Khan, Parveez Shaikh, Asad Hussain
4. Masaan: Varun Grover
5. Badlapur: Arijit Biswas, Sriram Raghavan (adopted)
d. BEST ACTOR
1. Bajirao Mastani: Raveer Singh
2. Tamasha: Ranbir Kapoor
3. Bajrangi Bhaijaan: Salman Khan
4. Piku: Irrfan Khan
5. Maanjhi – The Mountain Man: Nawazuddin Siddiqui
e. BEST ACTRESS
1. Tanu Weds Manu Returns: Kangana Renaut
2. Piku: Deepika Padukone
3. Tamasha: Deepika Padukone
4. Masaan: Richa Chadha
5. Dum Laga Ke Haisha: Bhumi Pednekar
f. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1. Badlapur: Nawazuddin Siddiqui
2. Talvar: Irrfan Khan
3. Talvar: Neeraj Kavi
4. Masaan: Sanjay Mishra
5. Dil Dhadkne Do: Anil Kapoor
g. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1. Bajirao Mastani: Priyanka Chopra
2. Badlapur: Radhika Apte
3. Badlapur: Huma Qureshi
4. Dil Dhadkne Do: Shefali Chhaya
5. Prem Ratan Dhan Pao: Swara Bhaskar
h. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. Bajirao Mastani: Sudeep Chatterjee
2. Piku: Kamlajeet Negi
3. Bajrangi Bhaijaan: Aseem Mishra
4. Masaan: Avinash Arun
5. Roy: Himman Dhamija
i. BEST MUSIC
1. Tamasha: AR Rahman
2. Bajirao Mastani: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
3. Bombay Velvet: Amit Trivedi
4. Piku: Anupam Roy
4. Tanu Weds Manu Returns: Krsna
j. BEST LYRICS
1. Bajirao Mastani: Aayat: AM Turaz
2. Tamasha: Wat Wat Wat: Irshad Kamil
3. Masaan: Tu Kisi Rail Se: Varun Grover (based on a poem by Dushyant Kumar)
4. Talvar: Zinda: Gulzar
5. Bombay Velvet: Mohabbat Buri Bimari: Amitabh Bhattacharya
k. BEST PLAYBACK SINGER (MALE)
1. Bajirao Mastani: Aayat: Arijit Singh
2. Badlapur: Jee Karda: Divya Kumar
3. Brothers: Sapna Jahan: Sonu Nigam
4. Dum Laga ke Haisha: Moh Moh Ke Dhage: Papon
4. Tamasha: Matargashti: Mohit Chauhan
l. BEST PLAYBACK SINGER (FEMALE)
1. Bombay Velvet: Dhdaam Dhdaam: Neeti Mohan
2. Talvar: Zinda: Rekha Bharadwaj
3. Tanu Weds Manu Returns: Ghani Bawari: Jyoti Nooran
4. Tamasha: Tum Saath Ho: Alka Yagnik
5. Bajirao Mastani: Deewani Mastani: Shreaya Ghoshal
m. BEST DIALOGUE
1. Tanu Weds Manu Returns: Himanshu Sarma
2. Bajirao Mastani: Prakash Kapadia
3. Piku: Juhi Chaturvedi
4. Talvar: Gulzar
4. Pyaar Ka Panchnama 2: Rahul Modi, Tarun Jain, Luv Ranjan
n. BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
1. Bajirao Mastani: Saloni Dhatrak, Sriram Iyengar, Sujeet Sawant
2. Roy: Vintee Bansal
3. Detective Byomkesh Bakshi: Vandana Kataria
4. Maanjhi – The Mountain Man: Nitin Chndrakant Desai
5. Bombay Velvet: Shaira Kapoor, Sonal Sawant, Errol Kelly
(The No 1 in every segment is my winner. No concession to box office success, reputation, or star status. The only criteria: QUALITY OF WORK)
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Prema
January 2, 2016
I loved the review btw. It was illuminating about so many things. Loved the film and all the performances, except possibly the young Nanasaheb. Just don’t want to detract from Deepika’s work. I think as Mastani, her beauty, her grace, her stillness, her litheness and agility, her pain, her devotion to the true path in the face of all odds (depicted in an early scene with her father just before the battle), all of these were incomparable. She doesn’t lust after Bajirao (his wife does, which is a marvelous twist). She seems to recognise something pure and humane in him and relates to that with fervour.
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वरुण (@varungrover)
January 2, 2016
Fantastic review, as always! 🙂 Just a minor correction in the translation: The dialogue – “Thokar paththar se bhi lagey to haath talwar pakadta hai.” implies that even if I stumble while walking, the hand reaches for the sword. (How poetic and insightful!) Reminds me of the hard-wired love for honking in Banaras where when someone riding a bike encounters even a speed-breaker, the hand reaches for the honk button.
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Punee
January 3, 2016
I find it super interesting that the three people (so far) on this thread who get Mastani are women.
Prema: What a lovely idea- isn’t it? That Mastani doesn’t lust after Bajirao- his wife does!
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Punee
January 3, 2016
I read your review again BR, so interesting- especially the part about SLB finding the actor truest to his style. Ranveer keeps saying this too- in all of his interviews….so there’s probably something to it.
As for your question- why does Bajirao fall for Mastani- because she is his equal, remember when he sums himself up to Kashi- that all he wants is a good fight, the sky and the land? Mastani is exactly the same- a warrior who wants to fight the good fight and who doesn’t care for anything else.
Kashi on the other hand cares all too much- she wants the people around her, even the visuals are that she is always surrounded by lots of people….
I would like to quote a line from Rhett Butler here:
“[I am] A man who understands you and admires you for just what you are. I figure we belong together, being the same sort.”
“You belong with me, Scarlett, haven’t you figured that out? And the world is where we belong, all of it. We’re not home-and-hearth people. We’re the adventurers, the buccaneers, the blockade runners. Without challenge, we’re only half alive. We can go anywhere, and as long as we’re together, it will belong to us. But, my pet, we’ll never belong to it. That’s for other people, not for us.”
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Utkal
January 3, 2016
BAJIRAO MASTANI
When my designer colleague asked me if she should see Bajirao Mastani, I replied, “You can see it for the art design alone; actually you can see it for its use of colour palette alone.” Be it the flags in the battlefield, or the tunic that Deepika wears during the dance number ‘ Deewani Mastani’, or the interiors of the Shanivaar Vada, the precise shades of colour used could echo the slogan of the popular paint ad of yester years – “ Mera wala cream !” In almost every frame, a particular shade from the C-M-Y-K (Cyan -Magenta-Yellow- Key (Black)) combination has been totally drained out, giving the film a painterly look throughout. The costume design is an auteur’s work. Be it Mastani’s elegant tunic or Bajiraoo’s masculine battle outfit, they are a joy to look at. The architectural reconstructions are also masterly with a distinct Marathi signature. The Mirror Hall of Shanivaar Vada is more elegant and detailed than the Sheesh Mahal of Mughal-e-Azam. And yet, it’s not about opulence either. Even the camp on the river with a few bamboo poles, squares and rectangles of cloth tied to them to form canopies, are equally breathtaking in their beauty. The stunning visual quality of the film owes a lot to the masterly cinematography of Sudeep Chattopadhya who transfers Bhansali’s vision on to the screen with consummate craft. The seductive visual texture of the film is perfectly matched by a lush background soundtrack which include snatches of songs like “ Albela Sajan’ , “ Gajanana’ , a delectable thumri and of course ‘ Tujhe Yaad Kiya Hai Aayat Ki Tarah’.
But no matter how good they are, pretty visuals and a rich background score do not by themselves make an engaging film. Fortunately, this is the most substantive film of Bhansali in terms of dramatic content with a rich historical backdrop, interesting play of human relationship and the dynamics of political power.
The film that Bajirao Mastani is quite evidently paying homage to is Mughal-e-Azam. ‘ Mohe Rang Do’ and ‘ Deeewani Mastani’ are meant to be the equivalents of ‘ Mohe Panghat Pe Nandlal’ and “ Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya’ and the Sheesh Mahal is referenced here quite transparently. The other film that it can be legitimately compared is “Jodha Akabar”. We should note that both these films are based on the flimsiest of historical facts. Anarakali scarcely exists in the pages of historical records, the existence of Jodha Bai and her position as a lead consort of Akbar again owes more to folklore rather than historical facts. In comparison, the key events in ‘ Bajirao Mastani’ are all hard historical facts:
To read the rest: http://utkaleidoscope.com/bajirao-mastani/
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Saurabh
January 3, 2016
I think MANK has kind of summed up my thoughts on many topics.
The movie was a disappointment to me. And I blame the screenplay and lazy execution of key scenes for it.
We keep moving from one grand scene to another with each scene “grand” in terms of set, costume, acting, vision, color and everything else. This in itself is not a problem except that some of these scenes either a) do not coherently flow b) don’t make the desired emotional impact c) Or have been lazily done (which is strange, given the attention to details for costumes and set etc)
For example
– Mastani was a warrior herself and must have seen many warriors in the battlefield. However, why she got impressed with Bajirao is beyond me. What I am trying to get at is, the fight scene was rather lazily done. If you have one scene which starts the epic love story, you do it well. A case of lazy execution. Only if this scene had made us fall for this great warrior along with Mastani.
The Shakespearean touch about the curse was just random. Ditto about the hallucinations and self-prophecy. Its like using Shakespearean “tools” at-will will automatically make any screenplay a great tragedy.
The initial interaction between Bajirao and Mastani while they were in Bundelkhand was insipid. The dialogues were boring and had no spark (eg. the scene where Mastani brings paan to Bajirao, or even the scene where Bajirao visits her in her room). I never felt like Bajirao was in “great” love with Mastani when he left Bundelkhand. Again, if you have few scenes which start the epic love story, you make it count.
The scene towards the end where Bajirao goes alone and fights the whole army is rather silly. It is very difficult to sit when suddenly a film switches from “over-the-top realistic” mold to “fairyland” mold (and then to Shakespearean tragedy). The director must find ways to show the desired effect by being within the realm of the world that has been established.
The scene with Nizam was again very lazily written and done away with. Why not just use voice-over narration?
The dance sequence (you know which one) was so shamelessly brought about.
All the side-characters were pretty-much stereotypes. Nothing special about them.
With all the subtext, symbolism, quotes and references that Brangan noticed and mentioned, why not get the basics right first before indulging yourself is my question?
As MANK wrote
“What Brangan said about Ramleela applies here too – that bhansali used to have a great vision, now he only has great visuals”.
Although, I could connect emotionally in Ramleela and hence enjoyed it. Here I found the love insipid and never felt invested emotionally in the proceedings and hence the eventual tragedy appeared forced to me.
Also, I completely agree with MANK’s assessment about Deepika. She was rather flat unlike Priyanka whose performance I really liked.
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lydia
January 3, 2016
Mr. Rangan, you seem to be saying that we need to ‘read’ the Bhansali characters visually and not expect them to deliver on questions of detail/motivation that the visual medium mightn’t readily deliver. They are embellished archetypes. Mughal-E-Azam works with these yet the love story seems more intimate and compelling. Could it be that there are more songs in old films to “flesh out” the emotional states of characters thereby creating greater empathy.
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Anu Warrier
January 3, 2016
BR, for a change, I read your review after I’d already watched the film. I think, SLB is one person you either love or you hate. I must say I fell into the latter category after Black. 😦 I haven’t watched Sawariya because of that. It’s only recently that I watched Ram Leela – found it entertaining. (I can watch Deepika in just about anything.) I went for Bajirao Mastani with absolutely no expectations at all. Simply because two of my friends wanted to watch it too.
I liked it. Well, most of it. The acting was top-notch. I am impressed with Ranveer Singh, not usually one of my favourite actors. Priyanka was fabulous – for a film that was titled Bajirao Mastani she had the author-backed role – or at least the role which was guaranteed audience sympathy. I loved Deepika – I thought she underplayed her role to perfection. And yes, she did remind me of the older heroines, especially Waheeda.
What didn’t I like? Too much, now that I’ve had time to ruminate – where did Shilpat Rao (Aditya Pancholi) vanish to, after he makes a bid for Peshwa? What happened to Pant (Milind Soman) that he wasn’t there to provide support to Bajirao when he’s isolated at court? Why is it that, even buying into the conceit of Mastani leaving Bundelkhand to follow Bajirao, that all-encompassing passion didn’t translate onto the screen? The love, the passion for which a man is willing to forsake his family, for which a woman is willing to live a life of humiliation, the sort of love for which one can believe that Prince Salim would give up the throne of Hindustan for the love of a lowly court dancer known as Anarkali? I didn’t get a whiff of that passion to make me feel sympathetic to the plight of two star-crossed lovers. It didn’t even come close to Nandini’s angst in HDDCS. (The closest I came to it was in the scene where Kashi closes the doors of her boudoir to Bajirao; while Priyanka owned that scene, Ranveer made me feel for his plight. ) And I’m sorry to say I laughed outright when Bajirao was coaching Mastani in breathing exercises during her delivery. 🙂
But. Despite all its flaws, two and a half hours passed by without boredom; and the visuals – oh, my god, the visuals! – were fantastic. His sets are paintings come to life.
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Ceaser
January 3, 2016
So the professore has gone and gotten himself a blog eh? That’s a step in the right direction
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Anand
January 3, 2016
Why would a man who has a sex goddess for a wife would desire another woman. When she looks like piggy chops. She makes love in the bath. she makes love in the pool, holding fire in her hands for God sake. If a woman like that can’t hold on to her husband, what chance does others have
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Kurinji
January 4, 2016
I don’t understand hindi and my friend who claimed to understand wasn’t very helpful either. But who cares when there are dance numbers like the opening mastani dance and actors like Ranveer and priyanka. For me deepika was a let down. Its not just your garden variety love. Its supposed to be the ultimate love in terms of craziness, intensity and passion. She goes after a man against his loyalty to his wife, the hatred, the marathas held for her religion and every other obstacle one could think of. Someone like kangana would have done a wonderful job . Why do directors cast heroines who are not talented enough to handle heavy roles I wonder. Aishwarya rai in raavan for instance. While Ranveer could muster up that intensity both as a lover and a warrior, deepika fell miserably short. Priyanka was wonderful. The scene where she catches her husband and mastaani in an embrace was brilliant. She first smiles with shy embarrassment just for a split second. a reflex reaction when someone happens to see display of affection. Her smile turns into agony when it actually sinks in that it is her man. By the way where is saroj khan? Pinga was no where near the exemplary dola re
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pankaj1905
January 4, 2016
Fabulous review as always; no one understands SLB as well as you, Sir.
Nature is a big part in SLB films. Even sky cries when there is a death scene. Also, I really liked how he used fountains. In Black, Michelle McNelly’s first words are not mother or father, but water. It was a new birth of her where she was immersed in the water at the fountain. In Black, water represented purity and clarity of thought that helps Michelle realize that words have a meaning. In that film, too, fountain formed an important part. Michelle’s first word is spoken by her in the water at a fountain; in the end, Debraj also learns his first word ‘water’ from Michelle near a fountain. When Bajrai visits Mastani, he is standing in water, surrounded by lovely fountains, and calls her to join him. Later, Kashibai invites him in the water; however, there are no fountains, because his fountain of love is now for Mastani. In the final scene, death comes to Bajirao in water. Perhaps, water represents the purity of his thoughts, his actions, his intentions, and his love. The magnificent poster of the film depicts Bajirao and Mastani standing in water, surrounded by lotuses, with tiny streams of water beneath and behind them. They are holding hands; perhaps, their love is like a fountain itself, sustaining them like the fountain of life.
Also, I felt this could be read as seven stages of love. The seven stages comprise hub (attraction), uns (infatuation), ishq (love), aqeedat (reverence), ibaadat (worship), junoon (obsession), and maut (death). We see these stages in some form or the other. How love goes through these stages, notice Aaj Ibadat, Slowly, this ibaadat turns into an obsession for them. She cannot live without him, and neither can he. Humare dil ek saath dhadhakte hai aur rukte bhi ek saath. He is ready to give up anything for her, and she will do anything to be with him. In the process, they lose their own identity. In the final stages, Bajirao’s junoon becomes hallucinations where he sees fate and destiny conspiring against him and Mastani. He fights an imaginary war with his inner faceless demons. Death is the only escape from this madness.
some more thoughts here:-
http://dichotomy-of-irony.blogspot.com/2015/12/bajirao-mastaniof-rukmini-krishna-radha.html
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Punee
January 4, 2016
Watched it yet another time and I noticed that before Mastani arrives at Shanivarwada, Kashibai has jasmines in her hair – mostly white, but all of them open, fully blooming, after Mastani’s arrival, she starts wearing white roses (except for Pinga, where they are red) – three, as BR mentions, and they slowly go from being blooming to half open to completely closed.
Interesting.
Another point both Mohe Rang Do Laal and Deewani Mastani make mention of Bajirao’s effect on Mastani – in the former she mentions how he took off her chunri (Hari ne chunariya jo jhatke se cheeni…) and Zakham Aisa Tune Lagaya, Marham Aisa Tune Lagaya…gorgeous!!
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brangan
January 4, 2016
To lydia, Anu Warrier and others who mentioned they didn’t “feel” the love between the leads, a few things:
(1) Yes, it helps that Mughal-e-Azam has the lovers in a conventional love scene in the Bade Ghulam Ali Khan piece. Also, there were many dialogues that explicitly showed how love-struck these two were. (“Main tumhari ankhon mein apni mohabbat ka ikraar dekhna chahta hoon…”)
(2) So our sympathies lay with Salim and Anarkali. Contrast this to BM, where — structurally speaking — our sympathies lie with Kashi. SLB could have taken the easy way out and reduced Kashi’s role or made her a shrew, but he makes her an intensely sympathetic, lovable character. This complicates our feelings.
(3) At least we “feel” for Ranveer because he keeps hitting a wall with the Establishment. There’s the sympathy factor, right there. With Deepika, her love is love is abstracted in two ways. At a physical level, she is a warrior who keeps fighting for her love (and while this is admirable at a “conceptual” level, it doesn’t do much to make us feel for her emotional, the way we do for Anarkali, whose love is a very simple thing).
And even at the emotional level, Mastani’s love is presented as an almost spiritual thing. The key line is: “Tujhe yaad kar liya aayat ki tarah / ab tera zikra hoga ibaadat ki tarah.” Instead of pyaar/iqraar etc., we’re getting aayat/ibaadat. Very different zone. And as the simpler, earthier, more physical kind of love rests with Kashi, we “feel” for her instead, more than we feel for Mastani.
(4) But I’m not saying this is a failure. SLB’s films are somewhat cold, formalist films IMO. And not all films have to be “warm” films.
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Saurabh
January 4, 2016
Brangan, I have a differing opinion with some of the points you have made above.
1) As for your first point, I don’t think there was a deliberate attempt to not have the conventional scenes. There were the conventional love-struck scenes and as I have mentioned they fail to bring forth the requisite emotions in the viewer. What do you call the scene where Bajirao goes to meet her in her room or the scene when Mastani brings paan for him. Are these scenes not intended to bring their love/feelings to the forefront. Also later on when Bajirao goes to the other side of the river in the night storm. Is that not supposed to portray the raging emotions the lovers have for each other.
2) Again, I feel differently. SLB in fact takes the easy route. The love story of Bajirao Mastani is given screen time before Kashi’s feelings are brought to the front. If I am not mistaken, before Mastani and Bajirao meet and the whole Bundelkhand sequence happens, Kashi only has two scenes, one when Bajirao is made the Peshwa and Kashi looks from the balcony and second the Shakespearean touch scene. The equation between Bajirao and Kashi is not delineated at all till Bajirao-Mastani have fallen into the “great” love. So structurally, I think SLB favors the Bajirao-Mastani love story. Now, it does not work, at least for me, because of insipid dialogues, lazy execution and flat performance from Deepika. It would have been a much harder route to take if the love/equation of Bajirao-Kashi was clearly delineated and then Mastani was brought into the think of the things.
3) Are you saying, Mastani was fighting because she was in love and also because she was a warrior and backing down was not in her blood. I guess, love is a simple thing, so may be SLB should have kept it simple. I am a warrior and I will “fight” for something because I cant back-out is rather silly. No?
4) Spiritual thing: There seems to be a mixing of zones here. If we are in the aayat/ibaadat mode, what is the need for the fight to “get” each other. Just leave the getting part to mere mortals who are stuck in the ishq/pyaar zone.
This mixing of zones seems to me a big problem here. SLB on one hand wants to portray this great love story but also wants to put the whole thing on a pedestal by showing that the love is on a higher spiritual plane.
As far as
“But I’m not saying this is a failure. SLB’s films are somewhat cold, formalist films IMO. And not all films have to be “warm” films.”
I completely agree that not all films have to be warm films. But is Bajirao-Mastani not an epic love story? If an epic love story is not supposed be a warm film, then which film is supposed to be? A film dealing with alienation in modern society?
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Deepak
January 4, 2016
So I ended up watching the movie only because of your review and I must admit that my expectations were met. Based on your review here is what I was expecteding:
1) Every frame dripping with gorgeous colors. What I got was every frame made up to the nines to look like a moving painting (leave the moving pictures to lesser directors I suppose). Probably not since Life of Pi has a movie looked this beautiful.
2) Drama with a capital D in Font size 100. Yup, got that too, especially towards the end where I was like dude, you’re the general/prime minister of the Maratha empire – get over it and get on with it!
3) A larger than life portrayal by Ranveer – Got that, in spades!
4) Two excellent leading ladies, playing off of each other, sparring over the man they both love – Priyanka definitely got the better scenes and the better written character, but Deepika wasn’t half bad. The issue of course is what you’ve touched upon – she just looks too much like a product of her time and can’t transcend that to look like someone from a few centuries back.
5) At least a basic retelling of the events with some directorial and writing flourishes to make it all cinematic – I don’t think they were very faithful to the actual way things happened, and even if they were, the story was presented more as a collection of vignettes from historical characters without much flow between things. I felt it ended up more like a greatest hits package from history.
6) Did I say drama already? Towards the end the drama was just too much. I felt it would have worked back in the day (early 90’s or before) but in today’s age my cinematic sensibilities have veered too far away from the heart on a sleeve approach that I just cannot feel for people separated by time and space just randomly dying of heartbreak at the same time. I mean yay for telepathy and all but still….. Pretty much the whole theater was shifting in their seats towards this point so I guess I wasn’t the only one feeling this.
To sum it up, brilliant visuals, an amazing package put together with a lot of love and care – rivaling even Hollywood movies. I just wish that the story didn’t have to lose out for the visuals and the packaging to be so “zazzy”.
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Anu Warrier
January 4, 2016
Brangan, no, I don’t want a conventional love scene, but here, there just wasn’t any feeling between the two. Am I supposed to believe that Rao loves Mastani so much he’s willing to abandon his family and lineage for her? Where did I see them be in love? Rao doesn’t seem to love her at all – he certainly seems to admire her. Perhaps she loves him, even that is not clear other than her insistence that she go to Pune after him; he? Not so much. Especially when his first reaction to learning he’s supposed to have married her, is surprise. Has he really? (‘Jis shaadi ke baare mein mujhe pata nahin…‘)
And as Saurabh pointed out, if her love was so spiritual, then why couldn’t she just remain at Bundelkhand, and adore her Rao the way Meera adored Krishna?
All that said, I liked the film and the actors – it’s just that it’s difficult to believe in such an epic love story, when there’s neither epic love, nor an epic story. I found Nandini’s love and tadap more believable in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam than I could believe that either of these two characters felt anything for each other.
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KayKay
January 4, 2016
Missed this in the cinemas. But a definite watch for me when it arrives on DVD. Every SLB movie to date has made exquisite love to my Visual Cortex.
At the end of them, my eyes are wet, pleasantly sore and long for a cigarette 🙂
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brangan
January 4, 2016
Anu Warrier: No. Not saying that you wanted a love scene. Just trying to explain why this film lacks a certain passion when it comes to the love story.
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apex
January 5, 2016
thanks for the nice review rangan. Im an occasional lurker, never post here but felt like today esp seeing the eminently high calibre of comments ..
ps— punee is absolutely brilliant here. Some of her original points about how kashi bajiraos was the child marriage and hence illegal in todays age and how kashi was lustful for bajirao (not mastaani) are pure gold. way to go girl 🙂
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Punee
January 5, 2016
@Anu Warrier: “And as Saurabh pointed out, if her love was so spiritual, then why couldn’t she just remain at Bundelkhand, and adore her Rao the way Meera adored Krishna?”
Why should her love remain at a distance when she knows that he wants her? He told her when giving her the knife “Dil to Peshwa Ke Paas Bhi Hai”…. it is on an esoteric level, yes but that doesn’t mean its not love… he just needs that push from her. Of course, Bajirao must learn to accept his love for her, but that court scene just proves it, when he defends her knowing that his mother sent her there, knowing that he is defying his King and the Pant Pratinidhi – its brilliant!
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SR
January 5, 2016
Didn’t see it and probably won’t – just wanted to suggest that you see beauty, unadorned/naked beauty, in ‘Macbeth’ (scene after scene will make you gasp). Let Bhansali attempt capturing beauty without all the pomp and glitter, then I will support him with my wallet.
Fundamentally, he makes the same movie over and over – is it a such a surprise that he’d get better at it (especially with the money involved in the production, as you stated). Oh yes, Bhansali is a Classic: the Emperor has no clothes.
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Kurinji
January 5, 2016
Just a thought.. A man with a devoted loyal wife defects to a woman who is his equal and subsequently inflicts upon himself pain that eventually destroys him. Isn’t that the plot of sindhu bairavi? We somehow could “get” the love of sindhu.. kb pulled it off without the million dollar sets and costumes that could be more expensive than my apartment.
Mastani in mohe rang song, suggestively shows the sindhoor to express her desire for bajirao. We saw the same in ramleela song but here Ranveer does the sindhoor thing. We keep seeing the tropes again and again. Not that I am complaining. Its kind of endearing I admit
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Rahul
January 5, 2016
Here is a quote for Punee
“Interpretation is the revenge of the intellectual upon art. ” – Susan Sontag
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abzee2kin
January 5, 2016
Had been waiting for this review… and worth the wait and more! Haven’t seen the film yet thanks to a ligament injury that has stopped me from going to the cinemas for almost four months now.
On your point of Bhansali having discovered his inner action lover post Ram-Leela… don’t you think in fact that producing Rowdy Rathore was the best thing to have happened to him? He seems to have been liberated in some way, and is less apologetic of his operatic filmmaking and marries it rather unashamedly now with masala where he was wont to burden it with a Renaissance or European aesthetic. I think Prabhudeva helped Bhansali discover his true self! Ha!
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Punee
January 5, 2016
@Rahul: That is probably the most evil thing I have heard. But considering it’s nature, I would add the caveat of “armchair” before intellectual 🙂
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MANK
January 5, 2016
Let Bhansali attempt capturing beauty without all the pomp and glitter, then I will support him with my wallet.
@SR, every director has his own visual aesthetic. its rather immature to ask one to acquire the aesthetic of another. macbeth is a mindlowingly beautiful film and so is Russian Ark and The Last emperor. Each style has its own place and beauty.
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Punee
January 5, 2016
@apex: I am generally a lurker here too 🙂 But some art just whips me into a mad fury 🙂
Also re: Kashibai and Bajirao, it gets worse. Per an interview with a descendant of Kashi’s brother:
“…once an owner of 300 acres of land, Mahadji [Kashi’s father] was a wealthy sahukar (moneylender) as well as the subedar of the Maratha empire in Kalyan, a factor which he claims, played a strong role in the alliance of Bajirao and Kashibai. They were married in 1711, when Bajirao was 11 years and Kashibai, only eight.” – See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/kashibai-the-first-lady/#sthash.lw1TqBkk.dpuf
That means for all of Radha Ma’s drama about politically expedient marriages (aise rishte rajput aur mughalon mein hota hoga, yahan nahi!) the wedding which she approves of happened for money and political power.
God, I hate that character (chillingly, wonderfully portrayed by Tanvi Azmi, who I only remember as Juhi Chawla’s SIL in Darr!) The hypocrisy in her reflects the hypocrisy of all the fakery of the so-called elders in this country.
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lydia
January 5, 2016
I thought a certain kind of spiritual (Catherine/Heathcliff) type of love was established in battle. At the end of the battle Bajirao and Mastani look at each other for a long time and it seems to me they are seeing themselves in the other. (Narcissism perhaps.) Kashibai tries the battle helmet on and looks in the mirror – at her own incongruous reflection. One day their unity is reflected back to her.
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MANK
January 5, 2016
Punee, even if he was not in love, wouldnt he still defend her in court scene? As he says in his reply to Pant Pratinidhi, she saved the life of Peshwa and Maratha empire,hence she is special. so that does not say much about his love. its later in the same scene when Mastani asks for peshwa as her gift from chatrapati that we see something break in him. hence his response on meeting her again’ aapne sare darbar mein peshwa maanga tha na, ….
And whether or not the baji-kashi union was a child marriage, i would say that he never would have divorced kashi and married mastani if he could. he wants both of them or rather he needs both of them. the fire and water metophors used for them are not accidental. the prime conceit here is that kashi represents power and more passionate, earthy fiery kind of love, while mastani represents a pure, divine form of love. And finally when he choose to renounce his power as peshwa (and thereby kashi) for the love of mastani, he is still distraught and drunk. hence his confession to kashi at the end – that he never compared both of them and both are equally dear to them.
I wouldnt call this bigamy. there is no bigamy or polygamy in bhansali’s world. there is only love – and different manifestations of it- and pain that comes out of it. People keep falling in love – without any particular reason – and suffer. there are no happily ever afters.
he could get away with this in Ramleela as the lead pair are unattached and young, so you could accept their falling in love to an extent. but here baji is married and by all accounts have happily married life – baji & kashi has a great love life and baji call her not only his wife but also his best friend, it looks very much a complete relationship. this makes the baji-mastani love story unconvincing.
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apex
January 5, 2016
@ punee–so one of the big achievements of bhansali has been to ‘inspire’ two lurkers to “come out” haha
Wow, thanx that fact about their child marriage (of convenience!) a revelation. So it was actually the Mastaani-bajirao alliance that is the “legit” one and the one the completes bajiraos kaleidoscopic myriad persona (not taking away from kashibai though…)
It’s interesting that in a way Mastaani caters to a certain element in bajirao that even he himself doesn’t recognise initially but there are subliminal signs of affinity straightway..
Mastaani (unlike bajirao) had a certain “focus” and blinkers on and her “tunnel vision” was evident in the scene wherein the two are riding alongside each other, bajirao admiring Mastaani who just rides along looking straight … Besides there’s possibly an element of extreme submission in bhansalis films (though sadomasochism will be a strong word for it) perhaps …?
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Utkal
January 5, 2016
Waht is all this talk about bigamy? Until the Hindu Marriage Act came into force in the 1950s, there was no resriction on the number of wives a Hindu man could have. Yagnavalkya had Maitreyee and Gargi, Krishna had Rukmini and Satyabhama. Arjun had Drapuadi, Subhadra and Chitrangada. Dasrath had Kaushakya, Kaikeyee and Sumitra. There was no restriction on the number of wives one could have.
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MANK
January 5, 2016
That means for all of Radha Ma’s drama about politically expedient marriages (aise rishte rajput aur mughalon mein hota hoga, yahan nahi!) the wedding which she approves of happened for money and political power.
oh pleeez. lets keep history out of this. apart from their names and some sketchy political events. the characters portrayed or the story told here does not have much resemblance to real history. this is Bhansali’s world populated by the typical Bhansali characters. As for Radhe maa, her chief concern was about polluting the bloodline. ie in the film. she does take pride in the fact that her son treats mastani with respect.
btw nice rant on the hypocrisy of elders in this country 🙂 Dont know what the elders on this blog will have to say to that (including our esteemed blog critic) 🙂
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Punee
January 5, 2016
MANK: Bajirao is not so generous in his praise just for anybody. Remember Bhanu? Who said that he had falsely executed her husband who was just suspected of being a spy?
He loves her. His love for her is what modern people would call madness or insanity. He never says he wants both of them, in fact in the letter written to Mastani once he finds out Kashi is pregnant he says “Hum har waqt aap ke saath, aap ke paas rehna chahte hai” but he also wants to tell Kashi about Mastani on his own terms, because “woh hamari patni hi nahi, hamari saheli bhi hai”.
He doesn’t “want” Kashi, he accepts her, because he accepted what happened with them a long time ago, and he respects her and he even likes her. But he doesn’t love her. That is very clear.
Love is something that changes you, that makes you happy, that makes you war against the world if needed, and he does none of these things with Kashi, only with Mastani.
In fact, see his reaction to battle before meeting Mastani and after, in the opening credits, they show him growing more and more serious and “harsh” as the battles weather and age him, but after meeting Mastani- what a change! He dances upon winning, he rushes to stand in a fountain to surprise her- just for the fun of it! “Ye bachpana kya hai Rao?” “Aap ke ishq ka asar!” – I found that fountain scene to be the most romantic of all the romantic scenes Bhansali has done- and this includes the scene from HDDCS where Nandini feeds Sameer with honey in apology and he breaks her bangle- “pyar ka pehla shagun hai, aur sazaa bhi mil gayi, is haath ne gustakhi jo ki”….
Eeps, there I go meandering again, anyway back to the topic- this is a man birthed by his parents and moulded by them to fulfill their preordained destiny for him as a ruthless warrior and he is stunned into changing everything that was his reality from the first moment that Mastani barges into his tent and later his life.
How different is Kashi from Vanraj? They are the same- the forced marriage, that turned out to be a companionship, a friendship- again Vanraj lusts after Nandini in a way that Sameer never did- his gaze follows her in the Nimbooda song the way Kashi’s gaze tears through Rao while he’s bathing…
Sameer and Nandini are equals, musicians/singers/artists who love and bond over it, even there Nandini’s love is charted through her hearing Sameer sing…just like Mastani falls for Rao as she watches him at war, that lovesick gaze when she sees him quell five warriors at a time! Woah!!
“baji & kashi has a great love life and baji call her not only his wife but also his best friend, it looks very much a complete relationship.”
From when did sex and friendship make for a “complete” relationship? 😀
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Punee
January 5, 2016
Taking the HDDCS theme further, just imagine if Nandini was married to Vanraj first and fell in love with Sameer after that. Would that mean their love-story was less “convincing”? Or that Vanraj was correct for her because as her mother says “Apni Marzi se Pyaar karne ki ijazat nahi hai is ghar mein”?
I was so disappointed with the ending of HDDCS- where she chose some vague notion of duty and sacrifice above love, I am happy that in Bajirao Mastani, Rao chooses love again and again over duty, over status, over every goddamn thing- even if it meant alienation, even if it meant death. Wonderful!
Now that I think of it though, the slow cadences of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam have given way to a faster clip and pace in Bajirao Mastani. In that film there were more details, more scenes to chew on, in this there are fewer, probably due to changing audiences and time constraints…Ranveer did say in some interview that they shot enough scenes to make a part II and that SLB should release a Director’s Cut of the movie- I am salivating at the very thought of it! 😀
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Punee
January 5, 2016
Of course Kashi is admirable and good and nice just like Vanraj “Kya Mardangi aurat ko zabardasti kabu karne mein hai?”
See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OfyIJb4g0c
But that music and scene where Nandini realizes she is finally going to meet Sameer at 2.00 in the above clip- that is love.
Just like when Bajirao travels across a stormy river, just to see Mastani.
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Prema
January 5, 2016
To answer the Meera/Krishna question, I would think if Krishna was a flesh-and-bone living person in her time Meera would have followed him rather than worshipping an idol. It’s an extremely romantic concept … the soul connection. Not part of humdrum existence. It rarely lasts long and always combusts in love stories, usually through death.
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Punee
January 5, 2016
MANK: All of the historical events and chronology re: Bajirao’s life has been adhered to except for one thing, Kothrud Awaz was built after attacks on Mastani at Shanivarwada’s Mastani Mahal went out of hand (Bajirao was away fighting most of his life and wouldn’t be able to protect her always)
So why should the fact that Kashi and Bajirao’s marriage was a political convenience be left out?
Achcha, chalo, lets assume that its completely fiction, are we to then take for granted that Kashi was married to Bajirao by his parents at such a tender age (even in the movie he is shown without moustache and smooth-jawed in the beginning) out of the goodness of her and his parents heart? LOL. Don’t we all know that arranged marriages to this day are about status and barabari and izzat and showing-off in this country?
Radha Ma to me is as evil as Pandit Darbar in HDDCS, both are hypocrites, both put their own egos above their children’s happiness, taking advantage of the child’s innocent love for the parent. Just because she “seems” nice doesn’t mean she is a good person. She even poisons Nanasaheb against his own father. And her reaction to her son dying- just praying- like that will absolve her. “Is paap ka prayaschit kaise karoge?” Whatever respect she gives Rao is a grudging one. In that very same scene she even refuses to bless her own grandson- sick.
Apex: You are welcome! ❤
Yes, Mastani “gets” Bajirao and introduces him to himself in a way. Her focus is admirable and the way she “tortures” him- “Hum bhi to dekhe apne ishq ka asar” – in refusing to bid him goodbye and in asking for him in open court- is very much like the way Sameer gives the silent treatment to Nandini after their altercation (when she slaps him)- sorry to go on about the HDDCS comparisions, but its there and now I can’t stop thinking about it.
Yes, there is an extreme submission element to SLB (of course its not BDSM of any sort) but its an arrogance in the self that makes them want to “test” their partners, their family, the world at large, and the passing of that test indicates a validation of both self and of love- which at that point become indistinguishable from each other, to love is to be the self….- “Aap bhi is roop se darti hai, ye jaanke khud par ghuroor hua” (as Mastani says to RadhaMa)
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apex
January 5, 2016
Lovely comment there, Meera & Punee, cheers
In theory, “true love” is by definition “transcendental” or so we hear, innit…
And for the “transcendental”; the recognition of the ” formless” within oneself is critical, because if one cannot recognize the formless in oneself, one cannot recognize oneself in the other. The recognition of the other as onself in essence – not the form – is “true love”. Or atleast this what the “theory” says but as we know there’s a helluva difference between “theory” and “practical”…
For “normal mortals”–There’s something called the “gut” feeling (though it’s got nothin to do with ones “gut”)–Whatsay..
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apex
January 5, 2016
Sorry I meant “Prema” not “Meera” lol
Slip of tongue/ finger …
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Vikram Sonni
January 5, 2016
Hi BR, excellent write-up as usual.
A few points on the Priyanka vis a vis Deepika performances-
Priyanka is attired in what can be called as costumes from a bygone era. Whereas Deepika is shown dressed in costumes that pretty much are still around (variations of salwar kameez, ghagra choli, etc). As a consequence, we don’t get an external cue as to the era the character comes from and this resulting in a different reading of the performance.
Whereas most situations with Priyanka demand an external performance, those with Deepika are more internal (a glance, a resolve etc).we as Hindi filmgoers are more attuned to showy external performances rather than those of the internal kind (an example I can recollect is Samuel Jackson sitting in the car and working out what happened between Robert de niro and the girl at the parking lot in the underrated Jackie Brown)
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MANK
January 5, 2016
Punee, no no you got me wrong there about Radhe Maa. i am not saying she is pure as snow. what i objected to there was, you taking a historical element about that character which does not exist in the film and using that as ruse to paint her character in negative light in the context of the film. yes she does some terrible things in the film. but she does it on the strength of her convictions and beliefs. she is a matriarch of an orthodox brahmin family and she was following her heart as to what was best for the family,country and her son, in that context she is not acting any different than Bajirao or Mastani. i wouldn’t condone all her actions, but i wouldnt call her pure evil either.
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Punee
January 5, 2016
@apex: That is such a beautiful comment, I read it a couple of times to understand it- I don’t know if I understand love to that transcendental level, but I do understand that true love thinks of itself above everyone else.
Krishna Bhat says to Rao: “Dharm Sabse Upar Hai, aap se bhi upar”
And in the end, the voice-over says “Mohobbat apne aap mein ek dharm hai”
Putting 2+2 to make 4 I would say this means that “Mohobbat” is above everything else, because it is the purest “dharm” 🙂
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MANK
January 5, 2016
As for the historical accuracy, i have read so many articles about bajrao and mastani- totally contradictory to one another – since the film came out that i dont know what to believe. which is why i rather stick to the context of the film while discussing it rather than bringing in any external (so called) historical facts
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Punee
January 5, 2016
Someone on another forum asked: Why do people worship Krishna with Radha and not Rukmini and there was an interesting answer….
“Rukmini was his wife while Radha was his lover. Rukmini as his wife was bound by traditions, duties to the household, family. Her love though true was not whole since it was split up by other relations whereas Radha was single minded in her devotion, her love was unconditional and accepted Krishna as a whole ( Rukmini is drawn to Krishna after hearing about his good looks) . The connect between Radha and Krishna was not just restricted to emotions. It was spiritual, it was the connection of soul. Radha did not expect Krishna to acknowledge and establish her as his queen, she was content to bask in his love, was not bothered about social approval, people ridiculed her oneness with Krishna but she was oblivious .. Which was what Mastani was..oblivious to the taunts, humiliation..her single minded devotion was to Baji Rao..nothing else mattered.”
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Punee
January 5, 2016
MANK: “yes she does some terrible things in the film. but she does it on the strength of her convictions and beliefs. she is a matriarch of an orthodox brahmin family and she was following her heart as to what was best for the family,country and her son, in that context she is not acting any different than Bajirao or Mastani. “
How can her convictions that are based on tradition, status, and politics be in any way equal to the convictions of Bajirao and Mastani which is based on pure love and standing proud in the face of a world that hates them and their love?
There is no comparison between them at all. Orthodoxy whether brahmin or otherwise is nowhere near as great a conviction or belief as love.
Most importantly she is a hypocrite while Bajirao and Mastani are open and true, her son summed her up correctly:
Bundel ki saugat chalegi, beti nahi,
Mastani rakhel banke rahe chalegi, biwi nahi…
Remember that she herself calls Mastani at least twice to “perform” in front of a crowd- instead of just letting her be! She unknowingly facilitates both of Mastani’s meetings with Bajirao, probably thought that he will lose respect for her if he sees her dancing like that- what a truly despicable, manipulative woman.
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NeDhaPa
January 5, 2016
On the con side:
The villain in the form of mother-in-law, in BM, is its weakest link, in the love story-love triangle.
why the triangle always have to follow the radha-krishna-mira model. Why does purety of love need to be devoid of passionate love. A few passionate scenes between baji-mastani would have been more ‘real’ life, no? Most likely B-M in real life lived happily ever after without so much drama and constant tears in their eyes that bhansali loves. Why do the hero-heroines constantly have so much sadness and cry-cry-cry.
The film could use a good editor and that will turn this into a masterpiece. There are lot of wasteful scenes that don’t add any value to the narrative or make sense. certain dances could be eliminated if not all of them!
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apex
January 5, 2016
“@apex: That is such a beautiful comment, I read it a couple of times to understand it”–
Thanx Punee–your comments are more beautiful ..
“I don’t know if I understand love to that transcendental level”–and most of us don’t understand either–which proves that love is not supposed to that difficult that only humans trained in “transcendental deeper planes of meditation” can indulge in it ?
Anyone with a heart can, I guess…
By the way, thanx for that “heart” in your comment above…
An innocent question–how do u type a “heart” in a comment –plz teach me…lol
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hari
January 5, 2016
All the above discussion about “love” makes me think if somebody would make a movie out of “sivagamiyin sabatham” in tamil. Portrayal of “Mahendravarman” character would be very interesting. Will he be shown as a villain who was against love?
Mahendravarman at one stage tells Narasimhavarman that it is not easy being born in the royal family. You cannot just go and love anybody you like, you have duties towards the kingdom.
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Prasad
January 6, 2016
Seems this is one of the year’s best seeing the comments and the no. of times folks have seen this movie. Haven’t see the movie though. But my 2 cents.
This is a SLB movie. Appreciate the visuals, consumes, Production Design, the grandness and of course Ranveer’s acting which is a add on.
If you’re looking for characters which we can relate, Transcendental true love, zing , between lead pairs better start looking outside of this movie.
My suggestion is to watch Masaan the scene in which Hero expresses his love through balloons. One of the best in a long time!
If you’ re looking for chemistry of lead Pair -Ok is the best this year!
@ Punee
“I was so disappointed with the ending of HDDCS- where she chose some vague notion of duty and sacrifice above love”
This is just for your information and if you know this Pl ignore my comment!
I see that you’re referenced and analyzed HDDCS quiet a lot of times in your blog. Good movie though, but the ending and themes of HDDCS is soooo age old and done and dusted by Bhagyaraj’s and Anil Kapoor’s of the world in 1980’s (Woh Saat Din) and maybe many times before that also which I don’t know. It’s a classic Text book definition of PLAGIARISM from SLB. Not only that, was shocked when I saw “The Miracle Worker (1962 film) on the scenes he had lifted from that movie for “BLACK”.
Considering those times and now, SLB has come a long way!
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sanjana
January 6, 2016
Just now read all the comments and Punee’s especially. Her or his passion is commendable.
I would like to counter Radha Krishna with Ram Seetha and Shiv Parvati. Ram’s ek patnivrat is celebrated. Shiv Parvati have Ardhanareeshwara concept.
I personally am against extra marital affairs. Please divorce the first one and be true to your second love. You cant have the cake and eat it too. That is called adultery and philandering.
I dont believe that it is purely spiritual or above physicality when relatively young and attractive couple fall each other. They are simply lying to themselves or lying to others.
I have been watching too many saas bahu woh serials and I dont feel like watching this movie because nowadays tv sets and tv women are decked like christmas trees. Perhaps SLB is inspired by them.
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Rahini David
January 6, 2016
Punee: I believe you are quoting the Radha/Rukmini response from another person’s response? Could you direct me to that thread?
That is the most Pro-Other Woman reponse I ever heard in my entire life and would like to know how that thread is proceeding.
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Arjun
January 6, 2016
How is Radha the other woman? Isn’t she the lost love. the unrequited love? isn’t that why she is so celebrated?
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Rahini David
January 6, 2016
I see that you’re referenced and analyzed HDDCS quiet a lot of times in your blog.
Where is Punee’s blog? I don’t get a link on her name.
What is HDDCS, BTW?
How is Radha the other woman?
I have no clue on that. The basic reasoning in that quoted text has a very pro-other woman feel to it. The whole Radha did not expect Krishna to acknowledge and establish her as his queen, she was content to bask in his love angle does it. Unrequited Love? Radha? Going by Tamil movie lyrics, I thought she was quite his all favourite girl.
Moreover ” Why do people worship Krishna with Radha and not Rukmini” and ” Isn’t she the lost love. the unrequited love?” has my head spinning. Can someone with strong knowledge in the subject clarify?
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Rahini David
January 6, 2016
Arjun: Are you talking about Meera? The Wiki entry says “Most legends about Meera mention her fearless disregard for social and family conventions, her devotion to god Krishna, her treating Krishna as her lover and husband, and she being persecuted by her in-laws for her religious devotion”
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Punee
January 6, 2016
@apex: To make a heart first type a lesser than sign like so < then the digit three like so 3 – and you get a heart like so ❤ 🙂 This works in most pages which have html coding 🙂
I swear I am in love with your comments, if you were a guy I would ask you to marry me, but I somehow get the feeling that you must be a girl 🙂
@Prasad: I am a big enough SLB fan to know that you are wrong. HDDCS is based on the Bengali novel Na Hanyate which is written from the female perspective and the Romanian novel Bengali Nights which is based on the male perspective- has nothing at all to do with some Anil Kapoor movie. And it is not plagiarism. The authors of those books were lovers and wrote competing accounts of their time spent together. As for Black, while I don’t particularly care for it, it is based on The Story of My Life by Helen Keller- and FYI Miracle Worker is not the first or the only dramatized version of this book- there were plays, broadway productions, even telenovellas based on the same story.
Its like saying his Devdas was plagiarised from Dilip Kumar’s Devdas- not true. It was just based on the same book.
There are actual plagiarists like Anurag Basu who lifts entire scenes in Barfi from various shorts of Charlie Chaplin, but no- that is seen as some sort of masterpiece, while SLB is consigned to the level of a copycat for making a movie based on a book!!
Almost all SLB movies are based on books- except for Khamoshi- and I like that about him, because I am literary person too.
Rahini: Apologies, for I have lost that thread- I didn’t save it cause it was pretty unmemorable, it had something to do with a bunch of people asking each other if they could “understand” Mastani! It was filled to the brim with paranoid wives talking about how they would never want someone like Mastani in their husband’s life and how she was a homewrecker 😛 In the middle of all that comedy I found this comment standing on its lonesome 🙂
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sanjana
January 6, 2016
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radha
My head is spinning.
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MANK
January 6, 2016
Rahini, HDDCS is Hum dil de chuke sanam. An earlier Bhansali film with salman, Aishwarya and Ajay devghn. It had strong plot similarities with Antha Ezhu Naatkal(woh saat din), the bhagyaraj film.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hum_Dil_De_Chuke_Sanam
as for Punee’s blog, perhaps Prasad was alluding to punees comments in this blog., where she has been going on ad naseum about HDDCS, gee…… 🙂
Reg:Radha & Krishna, Radha was his lover before krishna married Rukmini (and 16 thousand others, i guess?, i think the exact count is 16008 🙂 ). i think the confusion came about because Punee compared Mastani to Radha. Mastani is more like Radha in spirit. i mean she was not around when Krishna became king and got married. she chose to stay back and did not follow Krishna to his kingdom. she was not exactly the other woman.
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Punee
January 6, 2016
@Sanjana:
I am a girl 🙂 And thank you. I will probably be a tad embarrassed in a couple of months when I come back and read my mad comments here but right now I am loving it! 😛
As for countering Radha Krishna with Rama Seetha- didn’t SLB already portray that love story in Ram-Leela? The part where Leela is dragged off the Madhuchanda lodge and screams for Ram is amazing! And the Raavana being her own mother- brilliant touch. She even is a super-religious person just like Raavana- power and religion intertwine in her dialogues, her constant prayers even as Ram “invades” her home- fabulous 🙂
Of course everyone is against extra-marital affairs, I hate KANK for that reason alone, but then everyone must also hate child marriages/forced arranged marriages- which is the context of the world of Bajirao Mastani- its the 17th century for heaven’s sake, not 21st century NYC where Dev and Maya sleep together because they don’t have the balls to divorce their spouses.
I don’t watch any saas-bahu serials and I don’t even have a TV at home, so maybe I am not that jaded 🙂
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Punee
January 6, 2016
@Rahini:
I don’t particularly have a blog that I can link to, but I think Prasad is referencing my comments in this page here. HDDCS is the acronym for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
Re: Radha, of course she was Krishna’s favorite girl (also most movie lyrics focus on their time together, rather than their separation), he is said to have searched for her all his life, but their love was unrequited in the traditional sense- no social approval, no wedding, nothing. She was his lover from his childhood/teenage days where he grew up as the adopted son of a cowherd, but he had to leave suddenly to fulfill his prophecy/destiny of killing Kamsa(his uncle). Many think that Meera is Radha reborn- doomed to love uncontrollably, unrepentantly a man who she could never get, while married to someone else.
When he came back after years of war, Radha was either already married(by some accounts to Krishna’s own uncle!! who was impotent!!!) or had left the village, never to be heard from again.
And he pines for her and loves her forever- that is why they are worshipped together always- because his devotees respect that mad love, and want at least eternity to remember them together, even though they were not together in life.
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Punee
January 6, 2016
MANK: The chronology of the meeting/love between Radha Krishna vs Bajirao Mastani maybe different but their love is the same 🙂 And I brought that comparison in, because Kashi makes it in the movie.
I realize I have watched Woh Saat Din and Anil and Padmini’s relationship in that is nothing compared to the almost ethereal admiration-based relationship of Sameer and Nandini. Anil just comes to live as a tenant in her house in the former, Sameer is Pandit Darbar’s student, he takes Nandini’s place in her room, she fools around and teases him until she hears him sing and grows to admire him.
To compare the two is to compare cowdung patties with electricity- just because both give energy doesn’t mean they are the same.
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Neeraja
January 6, 2016
Wow! 128 comments for this thread. Amazing. Just as Ranveer is SLB s “made for each other star” so are you all folks, so are you all SLB s m-f-e-o commentators and you have drawn me so much into this especially @ punee that I dive into this comment section everyday and have forgotten about brangan! Shall keep all your bullet points printed and ‘re watch this movie again, crazily you crazy people!
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travellingslacker
January 6, 2016
Did someone just mention Woh Saat Din with regards to HDDCS? Completely support that theory 😛
People generally do not take this allegation seriously because that movie is not very well known… I would urge them to watch it once….
It does not take away from SLB’s gift for visuals, romance and music but stories/plotlines has never been his forte… nor does he care much I feel…
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NeDhaPa
January 6, 2016
In our eastern/Indian tradition, love is has various forms and each also has name for it. A mother’s love is vatsalya for instance. I don’t see such terms even exist in west. There is love between brother and sister, which is glorified. In the west, there cannot be a relationship between man and woman without physical attraction (see harry met sally). Platonic relationships are not understood or highlighted as in eastern cultures. Relations are defined as co-dependant, dominating, fuck buddy, wife, girl friend etc. In eastern context nature of love is very well defined in narad bhakti sutra. There is divine love, Bhakti-bhav which is not really understood especially in western world.
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Punee
January 6, 2016
Neeraja: Thank you muchly 🙂 That is like the best compliment for my SLB love 🙂 And to quote Chandramukhi from SLB’s own Devdas- “Main to sirf unki puja karti hoon” 🙂 The dream is to meet him someday and tell him how much that piano-selling scene in Khamoshi made me cry and that he won me over for life right then! And to compare me to Ranveer! Gosh! That makes me blush 😛
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MANK
January 6, 2016
Good god Punee, the film seems to have intoxicated you beyond reason. Your passion is infectious to the point i feel bad I have to negate much of what you say. If only SLB and deepika had half of your passion in characterisation and execution of mastani, I would be saying yes to everything you are saying and believe me it would have made me very happy too. We haven’t had such a passionate commenter here for a while now. I never had to work so hard to put across my point
OK, here it goes…,
Reg. Radhe maa character, you make it look as if love and romance are the only pure things in life and everything else is evil. Would you call Akbar evil in MEA. He also comes between Salim and anarkali. Radhe maa, I believe is a multi dimensional character and played superbly in that vein by Tanvi azmi. I come from an Orthodox religious background myself. I know where that character is coming from. I see a little bit of my mother, a lot of my grandmother in that character. So I identify with her strongly. Her son is not just anybody, he is the peshwa and he cannot go and fall in love with anybody. It’s natural that she will try every trick and manipulation necessary to separate them – just like akbar. I already said I didn’t agree with all that she done. But she is right from her pov in what she’s doing. By calling her evil, you are just rubbing your own prejudice s on her to make her evil. but that’s OK. that’s how you interpret art. Now you know where we were coming from.
I never meant that HDDCS is copied from WSD. I said that the plotlines of both films are strikingly similar and it is true. Story of a singer coming to live in a household, falls in love with the daughter, kicked out of the house, gets married to another man, blah blah…. its exactly similar
But we all know that the main story line is not the moot point in a bhansali film. It’s his bravura visual aesthetic, rich characterisation, etc… that makes up his his films. I love that film even though I find the length indulgent and some of Salmans antics intolerable. He just plays the surface and reduces much of the rich deep eccentricities of the character into crude antics. I don’t find the ending regressive. I thought it was alright. It did convince me that she had fallen in love with Ajay and may be just may be she has gotten out of that madness she had for salman
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MANK
January 6, 2016
And i have something more to say about this earlier one
From when did sex and friendship make for a “complete” relationship?
Na i didnt mean it a simplistically as you make it out to be. i just mentioned some random points basically due to time constraints. But what i wanted to put across was that, based on my sensibilities it appears that Baji and Kashi are having a compete relationship. which is the feedback that i got from my male friends as well when i was discussing the film. now it might be a difference of male and female sensibilities about what constitutes a complete or a healthy relationship. speaking for myself, i would say my understanding of a good man woman relationship is still a work in progress. 🙂
As for the kashi-mastani dynamic in baji’s life, I would like to mention this pivotal scene when Baji goes to kashi to confess his love for mastani. That is an extremely sensual scene, with Priyanka looking like a love goddess ready to make love. You can see that Ranveer is still smitten with her. As much as he try, he cannot get the confession out of his mouth. then we have this fantastic scene where she starts walking with a mashaal in her hands and stands in front of the waterfall. you can see the water pales in comparion to her and is framed in the background. so if water represents mastani, then definitely kashi still has the her end if not the upper hand at the time in her relationship with mastani. she then drags him towards her and puts his hand on her stomach signifying her pregnancy which sort of seals the deal with him. In all probability they go on to make passionate love in the water. It is in the next scene we see its raining and Baji is alone and he is writing to mastani that he wants o tell kashi on his own terms. reaaally, when?. when he is done fking kashi P . come on. he just doesnt like kashi, there is still a lot of heat, lot of passion in their relationship. that’s why i said that he wants both of them and when put against the coldness, the formality of the baji mastani relationship, definitely the latter pales in comparison and looks unconvincing.
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Punee
January 7, 2016
MANK: I don’t have a problem with religiously orthodox people, my own adorable, modern grandma was one, its when they try to foist that orthodoxy as “Khulchuuurrr” and “the right way/the only way” that I get not just annoyed but furious.
I don’t like manipulators and hypocrites. Live your life as you wish- go be a brahmin widow, shave your head, wear white- all good, but don’t tell others what to do. How can you forget that she made Nanasaheb imprison Mastani- turned a son against his own father?! As long as that son gives up every inch of personal choice and happiness, fights two wars a year from the tender age of 19, has a child marriage with the little girl of your choice- he’s a great son, but the moment he chose one small ounce of his personal happiness- while still being married to that girl of your choice and still fighting the wars you deem right- suddenly he needs to be manipuated, hurt and reviled?
How can you not see that that is EVIL in capital letters? And yes, Akbar is equally evil in Mughal-E-Azam.
HDDCS is more Na Hanyate/Bengali Nights than Woh Saat Din- you can see the synopsis of Na Hanyate/Bengali nights here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Nights and unless you are implying that Woh Saat Din also took inspiration from the same book it is patently unjust to imagine that SLB would copy such a movie. The ending I don’t find “regressive”- it is what it is, it is honest to the story and true to the SLB aesthetic. I don’t “wish” for anything else- I respect the artist too much for that. Even the title Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam- wouldn’t make sense without the ending as it was. I just felt spiritually more fulfilled by the choices of Bajirao than of Nandini- though she is one of my all time favorite SLB characters.
And anyway as they say there are just seven stories in the world- each re-embroidered in various cultures in various ways, I mean there is this lady who thinks Guzaarish is similar to Beauty and the Beast! Very interesting blog: http://dolcenamak.blogspot.in/2010/12/2-degrees-of-separation-walt-disney-and.html
How can you assume that I am “beyond reason”? Have I not given enough and more reasons here- for everything that I am saying? And don’t worry about having to “negate” what I have to say- opposition to my views makes me examine them more deeply and makes them stronger as a result, and I can take criticism (even if it’s an “ugh” and “LOL”) like a man 🙂
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rnjbond
January 7, 2016
Fantastic review! I feel like the depth you go into really helps me appreciate the film even more.
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apex
January 7, 2016
@apex: To make a heart first type a lesser than sign like so < then the digit three like so 3 – and you get a heart like so ❤ 🙂 This works in most pages which have html coding 🙂
I swear I am in love with your comments, if you were a guy I would ask you to marry me, but I somehow get the feeling that you must be a girl 🙂 “
Thanx a ton Punee…
Ok lemme try (hesitatingly)
❤ 🙂
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apex
January 7, 2016
Yo, I did it!!
Thank u teacher –I learnt something new 2day
Ok, this is dedicated to ALL THE LOVELY GALS of this blog –so that nobody feels “picked upon” (or “left out”)– Have been ENAMOURED by this EPIC dialogue that’s been running thru my system for a few days (& nites!)– ever since I’ve “written” it .. PURE stuff.. 🙂
Kiski talvaar pe sar rakhu ye bata do mujhe,
Ishq karna gar khata hai to saza do mujhe…
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Punee
January 7, 2016
ooh! another interesting detail I just uncovered, if you notice the Pinga song, Mastani’s saree has an extra “chotu” please right on top- that Kashibai’s doesn’t have. Marathi saree wearing videos on Youtube tell me this small pleat is generally worn by those who like to carry paan with them.
What a singularly small touch, unique and detailed- only as SLB can make it. And people say he doesn’t have passion in characterisation and execution. LOL.
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Punee
January 7, 2016
pleat, I meant “chotu” pleat! Sorry for the typo- was too excited! 😛
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Prasad
January 7, 2016
@ Punee,
Oh C’mon Punee. SLB and Plagiarism are inseperable. It’s world known fact that HDDCS plot is resembling “Antha ezhu Natkal”. 5 folks have vouched this fact in this blog itself.
Let’s take a another example Guzarish. What is your take on that movie? Again is it a BHANSALI ORIGINAL? oh no….plzzzzz
Have you seen “The Sea Inside” and ” The Diving Bell and the Butterfly ” and “the Prestige”. If you want to know the plot points of these films just watch Guzarish… again… a text book example of Plagiarism . Pl read wiki or the reviews below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guzaarish
See am not against SLB but just want to point out that he is not the greatest and HDDCS and BM are not epics. Full Marks to his acumen for grandeur and visual appeal. But that alone can’t make a movie epic.
Point is what is value/innovation as a director he brings to the table and what are the risks he takes in the film making. That also matters doesn’t?
You mentioned yourself as a literally person right? What do you think about Maqbool (Adaptation of Macbeth) or a Omakara(Othello) by Vishal.
Look at the backdrops of these movies and the characters full of Life!
Can you see the difference in content of these movies and movies like HDDCS?
That’s what am coming to and these the factors also which differentiates good and Greatest!
Speaking of love stories? Curious did you like Lootera? It was taken by a earlier assistant to SLB Vikramaditya Motwane. It just based on a short story O Henry. For me it worked very well the adaptation was very effective with amazing songs and lyrics.
Atleast I could relate to Raveer and Sonakshi!
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Saurabh
January 7, 2016
Punee, In continuation of the MANK’s comments above, I also have a few comments
a) You keep the context of times in mind while taking about Rao-Mastani-Kashi relationship (they were 11 when they got married and all) but you don’t seem to keep the same context in mind while discussing Radhe Maa’s character. The way she behaves is perfectly in sync with her times. In fact it is so in sync with her times, its almost bland.
b) Prema mentioned “She doesn’t lust after Bajirao (his wife does, which is a marvelous twist).” and it seems like this has been accepted by everyone but I have two questions here.
Now that I think more about it, there is some reason why SLB chose to show the bath scene between Kashi-Rao and no such scene between Rao-Mastani and may be SLB is alluding to what Prema observed. But if he really intends to mean that “Kashi was lusting over Rao while Rao-Mastani had a more superior kind of love”, then this is, in my opinion, just lame.
c) From when did sex and friendship make for a “complete” relationship?
Come on Punee, what is so bad with sex. And really what is so bad with friendship. What is a complete relationship? From the above comments I have gathered “transcendental, esoteric, on a spiritual plane, in the ibaadat/aayat zone, devoid of lust, pining forever, platonic, having bhakti-bhao, pure”. It seems that the feeling is that anything human (sex, lust, friendship) spoils “great” love.
If some of you feel that Roa-Mastani had a “great” love between them, I don’t feel the need to deny that, however, why dis Kashi’s love for Rao. The way it has been portrayed, she seems to have deep love for Rao.
d) As Punee wrote: “It was filled to the brim with paranoid wives talking…”
I see your suggestion for Kashi’s behavior in the above comment.
She should tell Rao “Oh, I can clearly feel that you have discovered beautiful, transcendental, pure, platonic, true and divine love in Mastani. I am so ashamed of myself that I only have lust for you. I beg you, please leave me and go to Mastani”
And then Mastani would know and since the “great” love she has, she would say “No Kashi, I have my spiritual love for Rao and i have no desires for the superficial, mundane almost pathetic kind of lust you have for Rao”
Now that I have written it, I don’t want to give ideas to SLB (he might just use it 🙂 )
My apologies for the exaggeration above, and while we are on the topic of exaggeration.
Punee, your reactions and comments (the wow’s, the exclamation marks) sometimes give an impression that Bajirao-Mastani’s love story, the characters, the portrayal, the situations portrayed, the dialogues spoken are amazingly novel and unique. It is as if we are witnessing them for the first time in the history of Indian cinema. Haven’t we seen all the above more than infinite number of times already? And probably done better.
As MANK said, “If only SLB and deepika had half of your passion in characterisation and execution of mastani”
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brangan
January 7, 2016
Prasad: If taking plot points from elsewhere is plagiarism, then I don’t know many filmmakers who are “original.” Mani Ratnam, for instance, is an ace plagiarist because Mouna Raagam is essentially the same “story” as Nenjathai Killaadhey. Ramesh Sippy is an ace plagiarist because his Seeta Aur Geeta is essentially the same story as Ram Aur Shyam. Anjali Menon is an ace plagiarist because her Bangalore Days is a essentially a reworking of plot points of many Hollywood rom-coms. Quentin Tarantino is an ace plagiarist because… see here:
http://www.impossiblefunky.com/qt/RD_1.html
In my book, a director’s job has to do with the sensibility — not plot points. By “sensibility,” I mean vision, filmmaking, treatment, the way he asks his actors to perform, the way he infuses his storytelling with conceits and motifs, the way he pays attention to music and lyrics, the way he directs his songs, the colours in the frames and in the costumes. And in these respects, SLB is a complete original.
This is the — as you say — “value/innovation as a director he brings to the table” and “the risks he takes in the film making.”
You may not like his filmmaking — perfectly valid. But you cannot say that he doesn’t innovate, or that he doesn’t take risks.
Now, about this: “What do you think about Maqbool (Adaptation of Macbeth) or a Omakara(Othello) by Vishal. Look at the backdrops of these movies and the characters full of Life!”
I think this lays out your problem with SLB. You prefer a starker approach — again, your wavelength, no one can force you to like something.
But a lot of people seem to think that visuals and grandeur are somehow a “lesser” form of filmmaking, that it’s not as “pure” as someone who goes to a chawl and makes a movie. To extend the metaphor I used in the review, it’s not easy to make quality zardozi work — that’s its own kind of art, and as much an “art” as making a quality cotton sari.
One, there’s much, much more to SLB’s films than just visuals and grandeur — it’s how he uses these visuals to tell his story, detail his characters etc.
Two, there’s genuine skill needed to do this whole “visuals and grandeur” thing. You need an aesthetic, an eye. Otherwise, everyone with a big budget would be making SLB movies.
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brangan
January 7, 2016
On another note, have been busy catching up with work and the movies I missed while on a break. So apologies for not commenting much, and thank you all for a great, great discussion.
It’s irrelevant whether one “likes” or “dislikes” a film, whether one thinks a film is “good” or “bad” — what matters is how passionately one talks about it, argues for (or against) it, puts forth POVs etc. And that’s been happening in spades here 🙂
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Vanya
January 7, 2016
“But a lot of people seem to think that visuals and grandeur are somehow a “lesser” form of filmmaking, that it’s not as “pure” as someone who goes to a chawl and makes a movie.”
I can’t speak for others, but to me the problem with SLB isn’t “the visuals and grandeur”, it’s that under the surface there’s no there there. Every time I watch one of his movies, I’m amazed by the beauty of it all, followed rapidly by disappointment with everything else — the razor-thin plots, aggressive hamming, intensity set at max from start to finish, the interminable length. If SLB made music videos for a living, I don’t know that anyone would be complaining. Of course, his movies speak to a large enough fraction of the population that he doesn’t have to give a flying frak about what people like me think. 🙂
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Saurabh
January 7, 2016
I think this lays out your problem with SLB. You prefer a starker approach
No, No. The line above and you whole chawl reference … Now you are just being reductive here. He never said that he prefers Starker approach (he specifically said characters full of Life – with a capital L). And calling Maqbool, Omkara stark is just doing gross injustice to them.
I find them extremely colorful. And the reason is that colors are in the characters being portrayed. The hidden colors of life and people are being brought to the forefront. And I will go ahead and say that his sets/costumes are also very colorful (as colorful as they should be.. not more not less).
SLB’s content is often found wanting and hence his visuals feel excess sometimes.
Prasad also agrees with you
“See am not against SLB but just want to point out that he is not the greatest and HDDCS and BM are not epics. Full Marks to his acumen for grandeur and visual appeal. But that alone can’t make a movie epic.”
Also, his assessment looks reasonable to me
“Can you see the difference in content of these movies and movies like HDDCS?
That’s what am coming to and these the factors also which differentiates good and Greatest!”
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brangan
January 7, 2016
Saurabh: I was reacting to the “that alone” part of Prasad’s statement:
Full Marks to his acumen for grandeur and visual appeal. But that alone can’t make a movie epic.
There are two things here.
(1) There’s more to SLB than “that alone.” The scene in which Baji comes home after knowing Mastani is pregnant is breathtakingly shot — but each choice (colour, angle, costume, body language, the metaphor of moon and cloud, the metaphor of fire and water) adds to the scene. At least to me, it’s just not a “pretty scene.” The visuals do the work of character-building as well. It’s one giant package of what’s seen, what’s said, and what’s unsaid.
(2) Even if we are to accept the “that alone” part of this comment, that there is nothing else, I still don’t see why that lessens a film. Because to mount a film on this scale, with such precision and aesthetics and conceits, is its own kind of filmmaking, and in no way inferior to other approaches.
There is no one way to make a movie.
I get that people dislike SLB, and I get the “I don’t like him because he does not work for me” argument. I find it harder to buy the “I don’t like him because there’s nothing in his films” argument.
He’s the only Indian filmmaker, along with Shantaram, who has such a gargantuan sensibility and yet have such minute shadings within all that bigness.
Like here we have the constant saffron/green comparison — and a lot of this is through dialogue (especially that big Deepika dialogue during the naming ceremony of Priyanka’s boy). But there’s a non-verbal depiction of this as well, for the “saffron side” womenfolk are constantly seen wearing green bangles (hare kaanch ki choodiyan).
Every scene is packed with stuff like this.
Again, I am not comparing SLB to Vishal B or anyone else. Just stating why he works for me, and why his films aren’t just “visuals and grandeur.”
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Prasad
January 7, 2016
BR,
Thanks a lot for your detailed comments and analysis! Appreciate it. My 2 cents.
“If taking plot points from elsewhere is plagiarism, then I don’t know many filmmakers who are “original. Mani Ratnam, for instance, is an ace plagiarist because Mouna Raagam is essentially the same “story” as Nenjathai Killaadhey. ”
Absolutely great point. But look at the output what Mani had delivered. Taking a very good movie like like Nenjathai killathe” and produce something even better like “Mouna Ragam”. Till now it is considered as a all time best movie of Mani! Now that’s genius isn’t?
The same case is with “Bangalore Days”….usual hollywood romcom and what an amazing movie at the end!
There’s another example from “Nayagan” which I can quote. The scene in which they smuggle with salt bags tied to smuggled goods is a just lift and shift from “Once upon a time in Amercia”. We were awestruck when we saw the scene initially but look how smartly Mani has packaged it. And the list goes on…
But take an example of “Guzarish”…. lifting movies from very good movies like “The Sea Inside” and ” The Diving Bell and the Butterfly ” and “the Prestige” and look at the output. We’ve characters which we can’t relate to. That’s the issue am rising.
I completely agree with you ..there are no film makers who are not inspired by other’s work. But how do you transform them into screen giving an different spin to it. Don’t you think that matters?
Otherwise there’s no need to give Oscar to Scorsese for The Departed right which is obviously a scene by scene remake of Hong Kong film “Internal Affairs”.
“Two, there’s genuine skill needed to do this whole “visuals and grandeur” thing. You need an aesthetic, an eye”
Absolutely agreed. That is what even I’ve mentioned. He is a very important filmmaker who has a terrific acumen for aesthetics.
But IMO the risk (Not financial) and innovation a filmmaker brings to the table for a “Devdas ” is much less compared to a film maker who takes “Dev D” just because the chances for rejection is very high in “Dev D” which obviously anyone can understand!
Again am not conveying “Dev D” is better than “Devdas”…. all am saying is the risk associated with “Dev D “is much higher!
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Sanjay
January 7, 2016
Let the 150th comment be mine. i am amazed at the debates on this blog. i am rather a newcomer here but i have rarely seen debates of this caliber. the Punee vs MANK fight is epic. the good thing is that it is never dirty. it is conducted in a cordial atmosphere. even when they stick to their views, they seem to have great admiration and respect for one another. on another site there would be abuses and name calling. the moderator would have already stepped in and started deleting comments.
its amazing how the same film, scene or character affects different people, men & women, differently. if only sanjay leela bhansali could see how his viewers are picking apart his film.
Mr.Rangan you can be proud of your blog.
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Punee
January 7, 2016
MANK: Hello, you asked me to adhere to the exact facts of the movie(when I mentioned that Kashi and Rao’s marriage was the actual “rajneetik” one!) and now you are presuming that Rao had sex with Kashi after she told him she was pregnant? Dude- what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander! As for him wanting to tell Kashi on his own terms I meant that he probably didn’t want to upset her while she was pregnant. And using phrases like “done fking kashi” – you kept it nice and classy.
Re: The details of that scene, Bajirao to me is trying to tell her exactly what he meant to- but she keeps deflecting- “matlab log jo keh rahe hain woh sahi hai?” And “Hamein logon ki baaton se pharak padta hai” “log kehte hain ke rao ko nazar lag gayi” even trying to recreate that paan-giving scene she saw b/w him and Mastani during the Deewani Mastani song, and he walks away only to have her pull him into the water and convey that she is pregnant- to me the way she had to almost force him to touch her face and then her belly signified that he no longer could bear to touch another woman than Mastani- remember how Kashi in an earlier scene says “mere rao ne kisi aur ko nazar utha ke bhi nahi dekha”- now she has become that “aur”. This is how it seemed to me, we can differ on our readings of that scene….
Prasad: The plagiarism accusations just bore me now- and I think BR has answered it to a better extent than I could. Re: SLB’s craft and how it’s not “Great” or whatever- blah.
And yes, I love Maqbool and especially Omkara (beedi jalaile FTW!) – but everyone is cheating everyone else there(that is the nature of Othello after all!), and Omkara doesn’t trust the girl who left everything and came to him- so its not spiritually as satisfying a world as Bajirao-Mastani is to me. I think the only honorable characters in that movie are Billo and Kesu Firangi…who poor things don’t get to be happy either…I always try to hope that maybe after the events in the movie- Kesu becomes the Bahubali with Billo by his side- but that’s all it is- a hope 😛 🙂
Saurabh: I kept the context of times in mind ONLY to understand why Rao did not divorce Kashi because that concept did not exist back then- but maternal love, respect and honor did exist- and Radha Ma did not have any of these 🙂 Yes, her super bitchy, manipulative behaviour existed then as it does now- but that doesn’t mean one should condone it or think it “bland”- jesus! what have you been smoking that you think a mother who is the cause for her own son’s descent into madness and subsequent death (and even then has to be convinced by her daughter-in-law to do something, anything to keep him alive!) is “Bland”?
Re: Kashi and Bajirao’s relationship- its based on a marriage arranged when they were children- of course all teenagers feel lust and they probably consummated it when at that age- which is how Nanasaheb came to being. I am not saying that that is bad (gosh no! teenage sex is awesome! 😛 ), but its not love based on mutual admiration- on finding your own mirror self. You are mistaken, I never “dis” (sic) Kashi and Bajirao’s relationship but I can understand how for someone as accomplished as he, that seems to be not “enough” once he meets his spiritual equal.
And who says Mastani-Rao’s relationship doesn’t have sex- he gets her instantly pregnant for god’s sake! No one ever said “pure” love has to be “devoid of lust”- please point out to where Prema, Apex or I said so 🙂 But yes, pure love has much more than just lust. If you see the companion pieces to Bajirao Mastani i.e the Blazing Bajirao series and the Mystical Mastani series- you will see details of their relationship which point toward their mutual love for music and dance (kala) and their knowledge of war (ranneeti)- their love is one of the spirit, the mind, the heart and the body. And that is more powerful than just sex and friendship- whether you accept it or not.
And finally to your criticism of my style of writing- I am excited in a child-like, innocent way about art that moves me, that inspires me. Of course this story- and every other has been told many times, not just in Hindi cinema, but in art forms of various kinds all over the world from time immemorial- “Panghat kaal se chali kahani, angin saal se wahi purani, tere mere ishq ki ye wahi kahani” (to quote Tamasha) 🙂 – but the way it is portrayed, the particular elements of a love story that have been stressed out – are what make Bajirao Mastani special, transcendental, spiritual, beautiful 🙂
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Punee
January 7, 2016
Apex: ❤ those lines, the last line of that dialogue though:
“Ae Mohobbat ke Itihaas likhne walo,
Main agar harfe galat hoon, to mitaado mujhe” 🙂
❤ ❤ Dedicated back to you 🙂
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Punee
January 7, 2016
Prasad: Re: Lootera- loved it! Unconditionally. I own the DVD and constantly blabber about it to everyone I know! 😛 It was Ranveer’s best work until his turn as Rao. I kick myself constantly for not watching it in the theatre! Gosh, what an experience it would be.
And this constant obsession with wanting to “relate” to the characters I don’t get at all. Like when I was a kid, I watched Baazigar and DDLJ and loved it- though I couldn’t “relate” to a single thing that happened in the movie or to the characters in it. It was a strange, new world- and I loved it.
Will I ever be like Mastani or Bajirao? Will I ever find a man(who is single!- it is the 21st century after all) who is my equal in every way, and in whose adoration I can spend the rest of my life? Who knows- the answer is probably never. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate and admire their love story!
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Saurabh
January 7, 2016
Brangan,
You mentioned: I find it harder to buy the “I don’t like him because there’s nothing in his films” argument.
I think I might have given the wrong impression that I am expressing my views about SLB encompassing all his films. I have enjoyed some of his films. Also, a generalized discussion on a sweeping statement such as “SLB has no content and only visuals” would not only be a gross injustice to his body of work but also impractical (I don’t remember all his films in detail).
However, lets talk about this film.
You mentioned: 2) Even if we are to accept the “that alone” part of this comment, that there is nothing else, I still don’t see why that lessens a film. Because to mount a film on this scale, with such precision and aesthetics and conceits, is its own kind of filmmaking, and in no way inferior to other approaches… There is no one way to make a movie.
Now you are stretching this “own kind of film-making” bit a little. A film has some content and some style. And by content i am not trying to favor “seriousness of theme”. Now the content and style should come together as a coherent whole for it to “express successfully”. “Coherent Whole” being the operating word here.
Why? – because from a human experience perspective, we experience movie as a whole and not as a collection of its constituent elements. So unity of expression is a pleasing experience and hence part of the aesthetic appeal. This is not a rule, obviously, but I am sure you would agree that SLB is not trying to break such grounds here to warrant a discussion in that direction.
My contention is that the “coherent whole” is missing. Some scenes, although they might be beautiful on their own, do not seamlessly come together and hence feel awkward. Some of the “symbolism/tools” are so forced that they stand alone and attract too much attention and hence negatively impact the flow of the movie. Some sequences are lazily done. I also have issues with screenplay and editing.
I have given many example in my previous comments to support the above contentions.
You yourself have mentioned “Just trying to explain why this film lacks a certain passion when it comes to the love story.”
An epic love story(the content of this film) which lacks passion is missing something and does not come together as a coherent whole.
So even if we agree about the beauty/symbolism/layering present in some/many of the scenes, the film in totality does not work.
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sanjana
January 7, 2016
Yet to see the movie. But became too familiar with the film’s screenplay and story because of extensive analysis by commentators. To see or not to see.
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MANK
January 7, 2016
Dude- what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander
Vow,vow!. this is being childish now. where was i going out of the context of the movie. About the kashi-baji lovemaking, i deduced it from the context of the scene. the mood, the subtext, the behavior of the actors of which i had given evidence in plenty in my comment itself. i was not quoting anything from some other website or history. you may have problems with my reading of the scene but you needn’t accuse me of anything i didn’t do or intend of doing just to get even.
This has started to get dirty now. i would rather quit with a nice smiling face 🙂 So till further engagement, Adios Seniora and peace out 🙂
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ramitbajaj01
January 7, 2016
In Devdas, when the diya (flame) flickers at the end with Devdas’s breath, it was relateable, as right from the start, the dia was associated with Devdas. So, that magical realism(?) was palatable.
However, in BM, when at the end, Baji and Mastani breathe their last together, I was left cold and indifferent. Nowhere was such strong connection shown anywhere in the movie before. Such kind of love can exist only in a movie.
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sanjana
January 7, 2016
Suddenly so much silence. Tired?
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MANK
January 7, 2016
Brangan, nice to have you back in the comments section. i wonder what you make of the kashi-baji-mastani dynamic.
And re:Bhansali is operating at the peak of his powers now
Do you honestly believe that this is SLB’s best work? i dont think so. there are things he has done in this film that are brilliant and he has never done before. the opening scene and the title sequence are a knockout. they seem to be directed by Michael Mann rather than SLB. No exposition, no prologue, he just drops the audience right in the middle of the action and into the mind of Bajirao’s character. but there are times when he falls flat as a director. some of the scenes are plain silly.The first meeting between baji & mastani- whats with all those super slow mo flying and kicking – the scene where he conquers the Nizam- i couldnt believe the silliness of that scene. it was Ranveer’s fire & intensity that stopped me from laughing that scene right out of the screen. the mood and the tone of the film fluctuates so wildly. i just didnt feel it is organically whole and one piece. the way i felt about saawariya – which i liked and think is his best work – or Black, devdas- which i didnt like but still felt that his style and tone was uniform. of course this is his biggest film to date and on the widest canvas and i understand that the director does lose control of the piece when it grows in size. but still i just dont think this is the best that SLB can offer.
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MANK
January 7, 2016
ugh! Brangan, where has my latest comment dissappeared ? oh hohoo. i find that way above in the thread line. along with January 2 comments. it is the third time this has happened. what is going on ?
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brangan
January 7, 2016
MANK: Don’t know what’s happening. Re-posting your comment here…
Brangan, nice to have you back in the comments section. i wonder what you make of the kashi-baji-mastani dynamic.
And re:Bhansali is operating at the peak of his powers now
Do you honestly believe that this is SLB’s best work? i dont think so. there are things he has done in this film that are brilliant and he has never done before. the opening scene and the title sequence are a knockout. they seem to be directed by Michael Mann rather than SLB. No exposition, no prologue, he just drops the audience right in the middle of the action and into the mind of Bajirao’s character. but there are times when he falls flat as a director. some of the scenes are plain silly.The first meeting between baji & mastani- whats with all those super slow mo flying and kicking – the scene where he conquers the Nizam- i couldnt believe the silliness of that scene. it was Ranveer’s fire & intensity that stopped me from laughing that scene right out of the screen. the mood and the tone of the film fluctuates so wildly. i just didnt feel it is organically whole and one piece. the way i felt about saawariya – which i liked and think is his best work – or Black, devdas- which i didnt like but still felt that his style and tone was uniform. of course this is his biggest film to date and on the widest canvas and i understand that the director does lose control of the piece when it grows in size. but still i just dont think this is the best that SLB can offer.
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Punee
January 7, 2016
MANK: I was not trying to get even. I am extremely invested in the discussion of the film- nothing more, nothing less.
I was pointing that out since you said we should stick to the events portrayed in the film- you weren’t doing the same. I did say that I find it interesting that your reading of the scene was different than mine, but your conclusion of what happened outside of the events portrayed in the scene were no different de facto, if not de jure from me bringing in the context of Kashi’s wedding to Bajirao.
I will understand if you don’t want to continue. Thanks for a good discussion (except for the “done fking Kashi” bit which was unacceptable considering the tone of the rest of our conversations!) 🙂
I am going to watch it again in a coupla hours! In other happier news, I am impressed that three weeks down the line, with new movies like Star Wars and Wazir coming in, Bajirao still has a pretty cool number of shows (per bookmyshow at least!)
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Shalini
January 7, 2016
“He’s the only Indian filmmaker, along with Shantaram, who has such a gargantuan sensibility and yet have such minute shadings within all that bigness.”
Finally! Thanks for making the link to Shantaram. Everyone’s (including BR) been going on about the similarities to Mughal-e-Azam and I’ve been in my lonesome corner muttering “V. Shantaram” to myself. Of all the filmmakers in the Hindi Film pantheon, SLB’s style of filmmaking – what did BR call it, “nautanki-operatic” – most vividly recalls V. Shantaram’s cinematic sensibilities and aesthetics to me. And that impression of cinematic kinship has been the strongest in “Bajirao Mastani” – perhaps because of the Marathi milieu.
“…the song is the exquisite semi-classical piece, Albela sajan aayo re”
Happy to see this mentioned; it’s a glorious song. My fave in the movie.
@AnuWarrier “I loved Deepika – I thought she underplayed her role to perfection. And yes, she did remind me of the older heroines, especially Waheeda.”
Sacrilege! 🙂 I myself found Deepika a bit “modern” for the role and more “athletic” than graceful in the dances, but she’s light years better than the blissfully uncoordinated Madhubala so I’m not complaining – too much – about her performance. 🙂
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Anuj
January 8, 2016
Bajirao Mastani is fabulous & grand no doubt but a flawed second half culminating in a weak and silly climax prevents this movie from becoming the masterpiece that it could have been. Read my review on :
http://thesimplemoviereviewer.blogspot.in/2015/12/bajirao-mastani-review-fabulous-but.html
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Anuj
January 8, 2016
My pick of the best 5 bollywood films of 2015 :
http://thesimplemoviereviewer.blogspot.in/2015/12/the-best-bollywood-films-of-2015-my-pick.html
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apex
January 8, 2016
WTG gal–chin up Punee –hope u enjoy the movie–u r the star…..
Aandhi Roke to hum toofan
Toofan roke to hum AAG ka dariya …
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brangan
January 8, 2016
Shalini: About the connection, have always felt it, and mentioned it in the Saawariya review as well:
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Punee
January 8, 2016
@apex: Har Har Mahadev 🙂 ❤ Thankyou!
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Punee
January 8, 2016
Thank you all, especially BR for this space and for a wonderful conversation littered with some stumbling blocks, but nevertheless 🙂 I shall go back to lurking now and leave you guys in peace!
As Bajirao rightly said: “Hamare saath ishq, matlab angaron pe chalna hoga….”
“Qubool hai” 🙂
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sanjay
January 8, 2016
@punee, please don’t stop commenting here. You are really good at this. i wished the discussion had gone on a little longer. It was so good. Sad to see it coming to an end
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Prema
January 8, 2016
Saurabh: I only meant that in a lesser script the “other” woman would have been depicted as having unbridled lust. Here the wife is. Both probably do lust after him, and honestly who wouldn’t?!
Shalini: Oh dear! I loved Deepika in the film and thought the athletic grace was a huge plus considering she’s a warrior. Her role didn’t have a great arc but that’s possibly the fault of the editing table. She was terrific. Both Deepika and Ranveer have said in interviews that there’s enough footage to create a whole other film so possibly a lot was left out in the interest of brevity.
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apex
January 8, 2016
But the public wants u to keep commenting regularly Punee…
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Anu Warrier
January 8, 2016
@Shalini – grin No, I won’t say Deepika is right up there with Waheeda in the acting department – yet – but I think she will eventually get there. I’m impressed with the improvement she’s shown. In terms of the dancing, I think she’s more of an athlete than a dancer.
FWIW, I think one needs to be able to appreciate opera to appreciate his movies. Everything in his movies – the sets, the costumes, the detailing, the acting – is operatic in scope.
Punee – I disagree with much of what you’ve said, even though I liked the film myself, but I appreciated ‘seeing’ the movie through your eyes. 🙂
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Punee
January 8, 2016
@Sanjay: Why thank you- you are very kind. A lot of times I felt like an intruder(with brash, unpopular opinions, no less!) in an all-hands meeting full of people who have known each other forever, which is why I felt a tad shy to go on 🙂
Meanwhile, just for the record, despite my adoration for Mastani, my favorite actor ever is Ranveer(yes, 5 year old Baazigar-O-Baazigar loving me is scandalised by this development!), so I thought I should write something about him 🙂
https://uchilpuneeta.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/ranveer-singh-the-joy-of-living/
And I would be more than happy to continue if anyone is interested in bringing up a topic 🙂
@Prema: First off “Both probably do lust after him, and honestly who wouldn’t?!” – Umm, EPIC 😀
It’s true that brevity and changing audiences was one of the reasons for the cuts at the editing table, but I am hearing rumblings from people in Bombay that it also had to do with Eros fearing that it may not get passed due to various items that could be problematic considering the historic nature of the character and conservative audiences. For eg, in one of the events, (Aaj Tak Forum) Deepika said the dialogue like so:
“Ishq, jo toofani dariya se bhagawat kar jaye
woh ishq jo bhare darbar mein jo duniya se lad jaye
woh ishq, jo har jung jeete, par dil se haar jaaye,
woh ishq, jo mehboob ko dekhe to khuda ko bhool jaye..”
See how the third line is not there in the movie- interesting… I heard that the “Ab Tohe Jaane Na Doongi” song was shot when Kashi tells Bajirao she’s pregnant- in the water, and the Fitoori song was filmed on Kashi too- again cut from the movie, there are also scenes showing Bajirao and Mastani in blissful matrimony- cut again. (titbits are there in the Blazing Bajirao animated series though)
There were these documentary-type accuracy lovers who were kicking up a lot of dust about the trailer and even some of the songs from the audio release- I guess they decided not to make it worse considering the high stakes- 210 crore budget, release with SRK etc etc.
Thank you Anu Warrier! I rarely venture my perspective on art because I am told it is very child-like, instinctive so its very rare that other people who can legally drink- see it like I do 🙂 Anyone below 12 gets me like nobody’s business, though!
Apex: ❤ ❤ 🙂
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sanjana
January 8, 2016
I enjoyed punee’s passion and MANK and Saurabh’s rejoinders. It reached saturation point and some bitterness emanated.
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apex
January 9, 2016
Part apocryphal, part folklore, part avantgarde faux-historical. Scratch the surface and beyond the soul n beauty of the two lovely ladies, and underneath the impactful visuals-
One can also contextualise this as the journey & descent of a man pulsating with virility, ability and attitude culminating in his ‘destruction’ (though even whether this is ‘destruction’ or the ‘natural progression’ of life is also debatable). And fittingly he never loses to any ‘enemy’ and never loses any battle. But as they say, the most difficult is the battle with oneself ..
During moments that stayed with me (& I’ve experienced some myself ) one sees bajirao at the height of his powers ‘sleeping’ whilst sitting (presumably to remain ‘alert’ and ‘vigilant’ even during sleep since who better than he knows that post sunset is the best time for ‘attacks’).
Before that, in the opening scene, he’s not the reluctant challenger but one who seizes & snatches power as if it was his own property. In one of the best battle scenes filmed on indian screens, he literally leaps& jumps over successive shields to climb an elephant and kill the enemy.
Further down the line, It was moving to see him helpless and inebriated but still being able to balance an object on his sword inspite of dripping with ‘intoxication’. In front of his inner demons the enemy army seemed insignificant.
The scene that followed awoke the (relatively dormant for a while!) hot blooded guy within me was the way he rode alone traversing the empty stretch (signifying the emotional barrenness in him) to singlehandedly defeat an army. This seemed just a desperate attempt to kill (not the enemy but) the contradictions and unsurmountable barriers that were assembled around him.
This performance somehow reminded me of one of my most favorite indian films and acts–Manoj Bajpai in Gangs of Wasseypur1. I haven’t read this comparison anywhere and I suspect only guys (hot-blooded passionate brazen guys like me, mind u lol) can see this association but perhaps that’s for another day (or night).
In a way, Kashi, Mastaani, (even Nanasaheb or even Shamsher Bahadur–a son each from both women) were not different or ‘separate’ from himself but parts of his own persona
As clumps of carbon we do accumulate vibrations as we go along. So how can one defeat or even attack something that’s part of u…
It’s easier (& less traumatic) to just kill someone but very painful when flesh is separated from skin or flesh from bone… it’s this ‘pain’ that killed Bajirao …
But the cardinal sentiment that he maintains, lives (& dies) for remains-
Bajirao ne Mastaani se mohabbat ki hai
Aiyaashi nahin !
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sanjana
January 9, 2016
Epic comment, apex.
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Saurabh
January 9, 2016
Punee –
@apex: I swear I am in love with your comments, if you were a guy I would ask you to marry me, but I somehow get the feeling that you must be a girl 🙂
Punee, now we know that apex is a guy (but hot-blooded passionate brazen, mind u) 😉
I guess Bajirao-Mastani made your 2015 end super awesome. Cheers to that.
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brangan
January 9, 2016
Saurabh: LOL. Amazing you remembered that earlier comment and brought it up to ba-dum-dish effect 🙂
So nice to have such a joshing spirit amidst such varied (even heated) points of view.
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Arun Annamalai
January 9, 2016
Super review, this is THE site to brush up on critical thinking skills. Find it hard to believe that no one had an issue with casting, my view is that Deepika should have done Kasi’s role and Priyanka as Mastani, cannot see Deepika in a warrior attire, she is too feminine for it and does not have the physicality, Priyanka would have nailed the fighting scenes, Deepika was totally a miscast here, guess it is market economics, she has more 100 crore hits. Malhari is the best visual and choreographed song till date and the sheer level of detail in every frame, this is art. The film had so many threads, would have been fun to see it as a battle and conspiracy movie rather than a romantic one, nevertheless fantastic execution given the number of elements and detailing involved in the movie, everything flowed smoothly.
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MANK
January 9, 2016
Sanjana: It reached saturation point and some bitterness emanated.
Absolutely. You see we had exhausted the whole film – i think we had excavated every scene, practically every scene in the film to put across our points and still were no way were near to finding a common ground. it had begun to feel like hitting your head against the wall. so once you exhaust the subject, the next step is the commenters start attacking each other personally i realised the beginning of it when i unknowingly let slip the F word, that was very unlike me. but i realised that the desperation was getting to me, ie why i backed off. In my formative years as a commenter, i have got into some nasty personal fights on this blog which served no purpose except to accumulate negative energies in me against people whom i hardly know – which is exactly the opposite reason why i visit this blog in the first place in the middle of the grueling work schedule. Thanks but i would rather prefer the (Dis)comfort of my desk job to that anyday.
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brangan
January 9, 2016
MANK: You got into nasty personal fights? Where?
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MANK
January 9, 2016
Punee, i almost forgot. i deeply regret the F word. you are right, that was against the general tone of our discussion- not to mention the fact that that was no way to talk to a lady. I just wanted to express my disgust at my reading of the kashi baji situation. Mea maxima culpa…. humble apologies
P.S. no you were more than welcome to the discussion. now if we all are just agreeing to what each other was saying then there would hardly be any discussion. Dissenting voices are always welcome. In all probability you made this great discussion possible. As i noted above, it wasnt out of any hard feelings that i broke of the conversation. we had simply reached a dead end. i would pleased to engage with you in future on any new topic. Just to prove that that there is no bitterness here is 2 smileys for you 🙂 🙂
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MANK
January 9, 2016
Brangan, i was not just speaking on this blog alone. generally of the cyberspace. i started off commenting on Rediff and Firstpost, which you know is the pits. but here too i had some altercations. it has been some time now. so i dont remember the exact threads properly Aarambham post was one i think. there was a Vikram piece or 2, a few on Krish3 and dhoom3, i guess.
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Punee
January 9, 2016
MANK: I am so impressed. Wow, your introspection skills are amazing (considering you could have just let it stand- you are the darling around these parts after all!).
Honestly, it wasn’t about the way you spoke to a woman i.e me, but more about how you spoke about a woman i.e Kashi. I was quite disturbed that despite your admiration for her (you being on “her” side and all) you could say something like that.
I liked that we were on complete opposition to everything- you are right, that is exactly what makes for a memorable discussion 🙂 (and thanks for saying I made the discussion possible! 😀 )
Apex: Lovely comment as usual, and you are a guy?! 😀 oh, that um, changes everything…
OK, Saurabh: Um, I am too shy to say anything now. My face became as red as a tomato because I read your comment first- before Apex’s!
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An Jo
January 9, 2016
@ PUNEE;
SWARAJYA SAMRAJYA difference:
The reason Rau’s words struck me was the ‘clinical’ difference that Bhansali – as is against his film-making grain — provided the audience with. While SWARAJYA conveys self-rule, SAMRAJYA denotes ‘imposing’ one’s order on others. So in essence, Rau was fighting for SWARAJYA. He wants a land—in the context of the film and not archived history – where HIS folks are ruled by HIS folks. He does not harbor a desire to impose his rule on others but to snatch his rightly-deserved self-rule.
RAU’S explicit Marathi-accented Hindi:
I appreciate the director’s vision or thought that he would have Ranveer’s Rau speak the most Marathi-accented Hindi while all other native-Marathi actors including the likes of Soman, Karyekar, and Manjrekar spoke in a natural accent. But I CANNOT over-look the fact this is jarring when considered as a film-viewing experience.
I CANNOT give credit to Ranveer just because he worked ‘hard’ on his Marathi-accented Hindi just as I cannot give credit to Amitabh’s make-over in PAA or his high-pitch in BLACK if it were NOT in the service of the film. That’s the sign of an intelligent actor. You can rise to the GREATEST of heights but that height HAS to be under the umbrella of the film being made.
I did not ‘count’ the number of times Poona was used versus Pune. But it was ridiculous to see even the Peshwa courtiers and other members use Poona. Yes, there was no Sena at that time to impose but PUNE is what was used by the Marathas and their subjects. I can forgive and forget the Northerners and Southerners referencing the British and using Poona but it is factually and historically incorrect that even the Marathas were quite happy with ‘Poona.’
*** Just because YOU didn’t like the accent doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. You should have heard the cheering screams to every dialogue by Bajirao esp “Cheeteh ki chaal etc etc” in Gaiety Galaxy (Bandra).:
That comes from the false premise of assuming that your expectations of an artwork are equivalent to those of its creator. It’s extremely presumptuous, methinks, to imagine that as an audience who lives with a movie for a couple of hours we know better than the creator who lived with it for years.
One wouldn’t even presume to tell a mason how to do his job, but somehow all artists are up for grabs.***
Now this is getting popular every aging day. Asking the critic or reviewer or a responder to first get into the arena or shut one’s pie-hole. Hilarious! Ever heard of this thing called ‘authorial intent’? It really doesn’t matter WHAT that author or creator intended or wanted the audience to consume. The audience’s consumption is subjective to its life, situations, and lived and felt experiences. And that is how it should be. If everyone were to submit themselves to the artist’s creation meekly without challenging or interpreting it, what’s the point?
Here’s a ‘lived’ experience of mine with regard to authorial intent. I had an opportunity to be a part of a special screening of Cronenberg’s A DANGEROUS METHOD and also got to attend the post-screening Q & A. I started gushing about Cronenberg’s genius in that his was a truly wonderful mind in deciding that he would house an essentially dark story consisting of Jung and Freud and psycho-analysis and sexual repression/domination in the wonderfully bright environs of Switzerland dominated by sunlight, flowers, and fountains! As I was still waxing eloquent regarding this brilliant contrast, my ‘praise-raaga’ was stopped abruptly by Cronenberg. He said – and I paraphrase – that he DID want to shoot this depressing story in the depressing season of early sun-set winters, but the studios/production companies were biting his arse for budgeting reasons and gave him an ultimatum: to finish the movie in spring/summer or RISK the project being shelved. And so he shot the movie in ‘bright’ lights fearing the bite-marks on his arse!!
But this ‘brutal’ fact DOESN’T stop me from bringing my own subjectivity and marveling at the contrast of an inherently depressing story set in bright lights! It is I, who walks out of the theater richer!
God, I hate that character (chillingly, wonderfully portrayed by Tanvi Azmi, who I only remember as Juhi Chawla’s SIL in Darr!) The hypocrisy in her reflects the hypocrisy of all the fakery of the so-called elders in this country.
Great. Now let me point to the OTHER side of these ‘old’ people. [A ‘thing’ I assume, you will also grow into as per my last understanding of what constitutes a ‘life-cycle.’] In a fantastic scene in WAZIR, Amitabh, when having dinner, pleads to the ‘youngish’ couple of a croaky Farhan and his wife Hydari to keep their love intact since we are living in ‘kifayati’ times where even the spelling of LOVE is spelt as LUV. And THIS is the old-world that Bhansali brings to life in BM.
So there are always 2 sides to these ‘elderly’ people. It is grey – better not to slot them in black or white.
From when did sex and friendship make for a “complete” relationship? 😀
Ever since FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS AND ‘FRAAND-F!@KSHIP’ became the vogue in ‘modern’ India
Finally, I had a chance to visit your blog. Do keep up the good work but when you used Ranveer Singh and Amitabh Bachchan in the same sentence, ALL seriousness was thrown to the winds. Especially when you stated Ranveer Singh had managed to ‘win more hearts’ than Amitabh in SILSILA. With regard to the BM context, watch the scene in SILSILA where Amitabh explains to Jaya WHY the call of the heart is unconquerable and why he is planning to leave the wife and go and live with his ‘love’ Rekha. [I couldn’t find the scene in you-tube; would be thankful to any experts that can ‘extract’ the scene from you-tube]. And then one can realize why folks like us spoilt on the lion’s blood really find such a comparison beyond any sane comprehension.
As an ‘elderly’ person, cannot say anything more but that this equivalence is more sacrilegious and blasphemous than Charlie Hebdo’s shenanigans.
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Punee
January 9, 2016
Rahini: I “got” your comment about there being no blog link on my gravatar. I have added it now. And also my twitter and google plus details, if a certain someone wants to get in touch 🙂
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Punee
January 9, 2016
An Jo: I have already said all I had to about Ranveer.
Re: old people (I never used that word) , I was referring to not just physically old people, but old-fashioned people (elders is what I said- here meaning “An older, influential member of a family, tribe, or community.”) with traditional mindsets who impose their laws on others. Khap Panchayats, Sati Systems, forced marriages, child marriages- are the ugly side of this, but its not like there isn’t the white-washed side too- marriages as business alliances, status alliances, forcing kids to study in colleges and courses that you want, and then being upset that said kid does drugs to escape the life you forced on them, etc etc. I have seen all this with people around me and it saddens me.
I had already mentioned this in my comment to MANK- I love certain elders, but because they don’t impose anything on others.
Re: “Ever since FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS AND ‘FRAAND-F!@KSHIP’ became the vogue in ‘modern’ India”
That is not even a valid answer to my question, but here goes, when youngsters are in FWB (Friends with Benefits) relationships today- I don’t see them demanding that everyone else do the same, but most people who had arranged marriages (in the old days, lesser in today’s age) seek to impose it on everyone else. See the difference? 🙂 I will understand if you don’t, but I think using foul language hardly makes your case 🙂
I don’t want to turn this into an anthropological discussion about the societal changes in India, so I shall end it at that.
Re: The AB, SRK vs RS comparision- it is my opinion and the opinion of millions of viewers who have made it a 160 crore hit against all odds- that is all I meant by “the only person who has been able to pull it off in a way that truly touched the hearts of million people” since both AB and SRK’s movies about adultery were huge flops 🙂 Unless you think movie-watching bourgeois plebes like us lose to intellectual Croneberg watchers like you by default.
PS: yes, I think Silsila is a piece of timeless art, but that’s besides the point.
As for what I said being worse than Charlie Hebdo’s shenanigans, you do know they died for what they did and would do it again in a heart beat right? #JeSuisCharlieHebdo #BringItOn
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Punee
January 9, 2016
An Jo: Two more anthropological points.
“He wants a land—in the context of the film and not archived history – where HIS folks are ruled by HIS folks. He does not harbor a desire to impose his rule on others but to snatch his rightly-deserved self-rule.”
Um, no- the Marathas conquered not just their own land but also land of Hindi speaking, Kannada Speaking and Dakhani speaking people, not to forget their brutal conquering of Bengali people- they show this as the spreading of “kesar” on the map of India in the opening credits. We Kannada speakers are certainly not “his” folks 🙂 Unless you think the “his” folks differentiation is based on them being Hindu vs. the enemy being Muslim- in which case I disagree.
“Dilli Mein Marathaon ka danka baja”- from when did Delhi people become “his” folks?
Even inside and outside the film, among those who were “his” folks, there were people who were not of the ruling class who were disgruntled with the Peshwa-brahmin rule, people like Bhanu- Kashibai’s sakhi, and the dalits for instance.
See: http://scroll.in/article/801298/why-lakhs-of-people-celebrate-the-british-victory-over-the-maratha-peshwas-every-new-year
So yeah, I think Samrajya worked perfectly.
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Arjun
January 9, 2016
MANK you must be called a MONK
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ramitbajaj01
January 9, 2016
I was hoping for the fantasy of Chandler and Joey to come alive, but, alas, apex is a guy!
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apex
January 9, 2016
Lol’d irl…
Oh being a ‘gender ninja’ …
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Punee
January 9, 2016
@ramitbajaj01 : hahaha! 😀 What a wonderful way to think about it 🙂 ❤ Chandler and Joey!
@apex: You thief! You took so many ❤ s from me 🙂 Better find a way to give it back! You know how to reach me 🙂 (I can’t find a way to reach you! 😦 Goddamn it, it was easier for Mastani to go from Bundelkhand to Pune in the 17th century!)
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NeDhaPa
January 10, 2016
AnJo “As an ‘elderly’ person, cannot say anything more but that this equivalence is more sacrilegious and blasphemous than Charlie Hebdo’s shenanigans.”
You really meant to say “To compare the two is to compare cowdung patties with electricity- just because both give energy doesn’t mean they are the same.”
😉
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pankaj1905
January 10, 2016
@Punee – Your comments are enlightening, thank you for your views 🙂
Just a slight disagreement – I don’t think box office is the sole criteria for a film being loved by millions. Films, like Andaz Apna Apna were box office flops but over the years, how much audience loves them. Also, I don’t think KANK was a huge flop – it it still one of the largest overseas hits ever in Hindi cinema and in India, too, it was not really a flop. I loved KANK, I think there is gorgeous beauty in that film. Just watching the song Tumhi Dekho Na, where they sing the song dressed in the seven colors of the rainbow. Or the scene where Dev brings a big bouquet of red roses for Maya, whom he is about to meet in a few minutes. All of a sudden, he sees Rhea. Maya is dressed in a red top with a green skirt, just like a rose flower that has red petals and a green stem. There is so much to love in that movie as well. Art is subjective, for me that movie is also a piece of art. But not trying to convince you that you have to love that movie, too 🙂
Again, thank you for your insights 🙂
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sanjana
January 10, 2016
Punee, I have never seen a girl so trusting and so bold. I hope you will be reciprocated same way. I may agree with you or not but I wish you all the best.
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An Jo
January 10, 2016
An Jo: I have already said all I had to about Ranveer.
OK then, the dogma is etched; which means no ‘discussion’ is warranted.
***Re: old people (I never used that word) , I was referring to not just physically old people, but old-fashioned people (elders is what I said- here meaning “An older, influential member of a family, tribe, or community.”) with traditional mindsets who impose their laws on others. Khap Panchayats, Sati Systems, forced marriages, child marriages- are the ugly side of this, but its not like there isn’t the white-washed side too- marriages as business alliances, status alliances, forcing kids to study in colleges and courses that you want, and then being upset that said kid does drugs to escape the life you forced on them, etc etc. I have seen all this with people around me and it saddens me.
I had already mentioned this in my comment to MANK- I love certain elders, but because they don’t impose anything on others.
Re: “Ever since FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS AND ‘FRAAND-F!@KSHIP’ became the vogue in ‘modern’ India”
That is not even a valid answer to my question, but here goes, when youngsters are in FWB (Friends with Benefits) relationships today- I don’t see them demanding that everyone else do the same, but most people who had arranged marriages (in the old days, lesser in today’s age) seek to impose it on everyone else. See the difference? 🙂 I will understand if you don’t, but I think using foul language hardly makes your case 🙂
I don’t want to turn this into an anthropological discussion about the societal changes in India, so I shall end it at that. ***
Agreed that you are talking about the ‘hold’ the ‘elders’ have on the kith and kin. And do agree that in India, mainly in the middle-class at least, they do want you to follow in their footsteps. But the point is, they DO that because we are culturally ingrained to ‘play it safe.’ And parents or the other elders do that since their first instinct is I think is to see to it that their children or the youngsters’ ‘risk-taking’ does not result in a big scar in their lives. The KHAP system and other oppressive stuff you are talking of are quite different from this. Such systems derive ‘power’ and control from their diktats.
Anyway, I too am not interested in any anthropological discussions with you. But just wanted to make it clear what my intent was because, quite frankly, thanks to the ‘clubbing’ in your sentences, it gave off a potent whiff of ageism.
Oh by the way, it is quite rich to tell critics or responders to GTFO just because they are constructively criticizing or observing an art-form and be offended by F!@#ship which frankly isn’t aimed at ANY single person–including you—but in the disgusting culture being peddled off as ‘modernism.’
Re: The AB, SRK vs RS comparision- it is my opinion and the opinion of millions of viewers who have made it a 160 crore hit against all odds- that is all I meant by “the only person who has been able to pull it off in a way that truly touched the hearts of million people” since both AB and SRK’s movies about adultery were huge flops 🙂 Unless you think movie-watching bourgeois plebes like us lose to intellectual Croneberg watchers like you by default.
PS: yes, I think Silsila is a piece of timeless art, but that’s besides the point.
As for what I said being worse than Charlie Hebdo’s shenanigans, you do know they died for what they did and would do it again in a heart beat right? #JeSuisCharlieHebdo #BringItOn
Firstly, it is quite stunning that box-office is the barometer which decides how an actor ‘touched’ people. So KAAGAZ KE PHOOL, DIL SE, AGNEEPATH [not the cry-baby Hrithik’s version of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan but the inner-angst ridden AB’s version] or HEY RAAM! that have gone on to become cult-classics though there weren’t minters at the BO are what then? How do they become cult classics without ‘touching’ people? And you again contrast this by saying SILSILA is a time-less art. How does a movie that with Bachchan’s standards failed to make an impact at BO still ‘touch’ audience? At least you do agree that something doesn’t become a cult classic without touching the human heart? Whatever be the eon in history?
Secondly, your statement about my statement on Cronenberg is the classic case of playing a victim and conveniently shifting the terms of the debate: To indirectly refer to anybody who brings a ‘different’ example to the table an ‘elitist’ and the self as some sort of ‘bourgeois-champion’, muddy the waters and throw the central argument out the window. The central point of my example was expanding on the ridiculousness of this dogmatic attitude of ‘don’t-question-the-artist-who-has-worked-for-3-years-on-a-movie’ but to be open to something called ‘authorial intent.’ I gave specific example as to what I had perceived versus what the creator actually DIDN’T even intend at all. Nothing more, nothing less. Unlike you, I DIDN’T post a Wikipedia link of ‘authorial intent’ BECAUSE I start off by assuming that one KNOWS about this, not by condescendingly assuming that the subject of one’s discussion doesn’t know about this. This is in CONTRAST to your assumption that I wrote about Cronenberg just to parade an elitist superiority by quoting ‘Hollywood’ film-makers and their stories.
Regarding the swarajya versus samrajya debate, it is a simple but nuanced difference. To underline your conclusion that SAMRAJYA would have worked perfectly, you ‘reference’ Maratha’s Bengal invasion, treatment of Dalits [Mahars] and the battles fought with the Mysore rulers over Madikere, Gajendragad, and Nargund to name a few. I am quite well aware of the ‘occupational-tendencies’ of certain Maratha rulers.
Let’s get a thing or two here clarified.
Firstly, in the context of a Bhansali film – a film that bears the tagline THE LOVE STORY OF A WARRIOR – it is utterly irresponsible to cite a scroll.in article to ‘bolster’ historical accuracy. Bhansali and history/facts are as compatible –in these great modern times—as Shirish Kunder and Shah Rukh Khan. Here’s another historical ‘accuracy’ for you in a Bhansali film. At the start of the film, when Rau decides to help Mastani, he tells Milind Soman that they can always tell Shahu Maharaj that they decided on this course since a ‘Hindu’ kingdom is helping a ‘Hindu’ regime. Later, when Radha Bai questions the very same Rau about marrying a Muslim, he retorts saying he is against the ‘sultanat’ but not their religion!! Hilarious! Whatever was that about a Hindu regime helping another Hindu regime? So this is the kind of ‘accuracy’ that we are looking at. Go figure. [Also, it would HELP to remind oneself that the film is based on Inamdar’s RAUU and not on any worthy historical from Bhandarkar’s institute in ‘Pune’].
BTW, thanks for your sroll.in article; couldn’t help but notice the number of times ‘PUNE’ is used versus ‘POONA.’
The fact that I have gone on such a time-consuming exercise to counter your ‘arguments’ should be proof enough that I only wish to engage in constructive exchange and nothing more. I am not interested in having an exchange just to prove someone’s one-upmanship or earning the most number of emoticons or likes. The moment I realized that anything else you bring to a discussion is SECONDARY to the fact that Deepika and Ranveer are ‘Gods’, I decided to give it up but just couldn’t help myself from expanding on my agreements and dis-agreements with the film and its performers.
I have had quite an exhausting discussion with Aamir Khan’s ‘FANS’ the last couple of weeks on his ‘intolerance’ remarks and come away stunned with the fanaticism on display. I wouldn’t want to have a repeat of that here if all that one wants to listen to are echo-chamber views.
So thank you for your ‘passion’ but no thank you for all the other stuff. I would rather have it with more welcoming people like Rangan or MANK who are more open to varied points of view.
Have a great life – as well as the last word.
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An Jo
January 10, 2016
@ NehdaPa: You really meant to say “To compare the two is to compare cowdung patties with electricity- just because both give energy doesn’t mean they are the same.”
ROFL…great humor!!! Keep it coming.
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Arjun
January 10, 2016
An Jo, to avoid future complications just one question, are you male or female? 🙂
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sanjana
January 10, 2016
Now the debate turning into exhausting 5 set tennis matches between Federer and Nadal or Djokovic.
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Punee
January 10, 2016
NeDhaPa: ZING! haha!
Pankaj1905: Thank you! Coming from you (whose blog I adore!) that is a great compliment.
That song is the most redeeming factor of the movie for me- its truly gorgeous, but in general the mood of the movie is very sombre, and SRK and Rani, aka Dev and Maya are just you know such losers, that I can’t bear to watch the movie. Darr in which SRK is a stalker and a psycho (I watched it when I was 5!!) had me much more interested.
I admit that I am unable to be objective about that movie, it was what made me, a lifelong SRK fan just stay away from him for like a decade until Chennai Express- I was so angry with him. Maybe I watched it at a bad time in my life, or maybe I just can’t watch SRK be so sarcastic and mean and rude and condescending for no reason at all (kinda the reason why I am wary of him in real life as well these days!). Or maybe I had a K3G hangover, I don’t really know 🙂
As for overseas success, yes even Lamhe (my all time favorite Yash Chopra film) was a big success abroad, but even Yash sir calls it a “flop”. India is all that matters, unfortunately- its a strange centre of the earth syndrome.
And of course today Lamhe is considered a beloved classic as is Andaz Apna Apna- thank you for pointing that one out- but there is something to be said for the power of instant love over the power of love that may or may not come over decades- non?
Sanjana: Thank you kind lady! I didn’t know I was being bold, I was just being me 🙂
An Jo: I am anything if ageist. But well, you don’t know that, since you dont know me- I actually have more friends who are older than 50 than younger… Also, I didn’t post the wiki link to authorial intent- Rahul did! I didn’t even know that term- and I thanked him for introducing me to it! 🙂 The rest of what you said is super interesting- but I am in a completely different mental state since yesterday and in no position to reply, so you get to have the last word, after all 🙂 …..Apologies for consuming your time! Here’s a million emoticons for you ❤ 🙂 🙂
Lastly I repeat that all I meant by “touched a million hearts” is that it is being watched again and again by a million people in the face of an SRK juggernaut- that is a feat that no one has ever accomplished. Going against a Khan and winning- not even possible in your dreams! Box office is such a vague term- there were actual people who went to actual theatres to watch a film in which the hero (who is nowhere close to as big a star as AB or SRK were when Silsila and KANK released) plays an adulterer for all practical purposes.
Considering this is the same audience that regularly makes a Prem Ratan Dhan Payo a hit, considering it made an OSO a hit over Saawariya, the fact that Bajirao Mastani is not just a hit, but has overtaken Dilwale (in the Indian markets) is extraordinary, statistically at the very least.
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NeDhaPa
January 10, 2016
“The moment I realized that anything else you bring to a discussion is SECONDARY to the fact that Deepika and Ranveer are ‘Gods”
There is an interesting episode where SLB, the judge of x-factor (or some music show on telly, I don’t remember it clearly) has amitabh on the show (I think he was promoting aarakshan at that time). SLB introduces Amitabh as presence of God. So much love and respect of the great talent or the greatest talent.
On the side note: at the beginning of the shoot of B-M, SLB routinely made fun of Ranveer and threatened him to show the door and hire someone else. Things only got calmer later on, much later on. Ranveer was mortified, embarrased because all this was happening in front of the whole set. Now Ranveer is cocky and going around putting his name in the same breath as Daniel Day Lewis!!!! Amitabh, the god of acting, always says he is no big deal. So much difference between a newbie and a real legend. I am beside myself when I see interviews of Ranveer on how he locked himself in hotel room for 21 days and Tanvee Azmi on how she shaved her head. Some where they both mistaken themselves to be auteur. If you watch PChopra on Quantico, you realize just HOW inadequate the desi actors are. Every line is drama and over the top acting, which is lauded (and maybe correctly so) in hindi cinema context. But doesn’t mean that they are the greats or understand nuances of acting. Ranveer is huge improvement but his performance (for me) is still inconsistent in B-M. Though I cannot think of anyone else in current times who could have played that role. Maybe a theater actor or Manoj Bajpai or young Amitabh! I certainly don’t see Salman or any khans fitting into that Bajirao, after all Baji died young and all khans are aging.
Amitabh, Ben Kingley, Russell Crowe, Johnny Depp are some of the greats and all time favorites who know how to really “transform” themselves for a role. When bollywood actors talk about their “transformation” for the role, they are either building more muscle in the gym or shaving their heads off.
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apex
January 10, 2016
“@apex: You thief! You took so many ❤ s from me 🙂 Better find a way to give it back! You know how to reach me 🙂 (I can’t find a way to reach you! 😦 Goddamn it, it was easier for Mastani to go from Bundelkhand to Pune in the 17th century!)”
Oh ok then, 2 begin wid, I’ve become your (& maybe a few select others’ here) official FANBOY (& toyboy)…..happy ? 😉
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Punee
January 11, 2016
@apex: happy indeed…but not good enough! 😉 The virtual world is not enough.
“Hum bhi to dekhe apne ishq ka asar” 🙂
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freeradical
January 11, 2016
Just watched BM yesterday, after a long, long wait. And I walked out of the theater with just one thing resonating in my mind – Rau ! The arc of the Rau (like apex so beautifully described above) was what gripped me at the core of the movie. I want to go back and watch the movie again – just to watch the man morph from brash and young, taking a leap of faith with Mastani, and then slowly going from bewildered to hurt to broken as he is defeated not by his enemies but his family. That pulsating core of masculine energy (in my opinion) perfectly counterbalanced the 2 very different female characters. I have a feeling I am going to be watching parts of this movie again and again.
The movie itself was good, but it needed to breathe. The flow of time and relationships felt rushed. SLB could have easily created more space to show the growth of his characters, and the Bajirao-Mastani relationship, by removing 2 of the most ineffective indulgences in the movie – Mohe Rang Do Laal and Pinga. The first was just cringeworthy – DP just cannot do these kind of performances. I kept thinking of Madhuri and Kahe Chede Mohe from Devdas (sigh).
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NeDhaPa
January 11, 2016
Be careful apex. Punee and saurabh appeared together (and some other ids). You know what I am talking about 😉
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
January 11, 2016
Hi Baradwaj Rangan, i must say that you are very generous to allow these kind of discussions, just reading whatever you pen itself is a pleasure, but reading the comment section is even more so, gradually Mank, Venkatesh, Rahini, Ram Murali, Utkalji have become voices in my head. I don’t recall any movie analyst (a concession made for your hate of the word critic) who draws as many impassioned, erudite and articulate commenters, kudos to that.
And Punee, i’m a pragmatic guy and i didn’t buy into your rationale, but your steadfastness has made me think otherwise, Bravo Lady… More power to you.
Just reading Bajirao Mastani comment section was so surreal than the actual movie. Thank you all.
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NeDhaPa
January 11, 2016
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/parthian-shot/bajirao-mastani-a-hit-job-on-the-great-maratha/
Some excerpts:
“In the 16th century, poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi wrote his Padmavat in Avadhi and introduced the myth of Queen Padmini of Chittore. What Jayasi may not have realised at that time was that his work was a perfect hit-job on Delhi sultan Alauddin Khilji, who preceded him by over three centuries. Posterity has remembered the valiant sultan who destroyed the Mongols and was a brilliant administrator as only a lover boy who destroyed a whole kingdom because he wanted to possess another man’s wife.”
“Bajirao next outwits the Nizam by replacing his guards with his own men when the old man tries to capture him. In reality, Bajirao humbled the Nizam with his military skill at Palkhed. Centuries later, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery called it “a masterpiece of strategic mobility”. Sadly, no attempt was made to picturise this masterpiece. Bhansali, if he had to show just one battle, could have avoided that wasteful affair at Bundelkhand and concentrated on Palkhed instead. That would have made the viewer understand that Bajirao was great not because of guile but because of sheer military genius.”
“Yet for Bhansali, facts can never come in the way of a good story. That’s why the Peshwa celebrates his victory with an idiotic dance with too many jumps and is joined by his heavily armoured troops. You could walk with great difficulty while wearing chain mail—something portrayed near-accurately in K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam where a mail-clad Prithviraj Kapoor as Akbar comes to Jodha Bai for tilak, walking like a penguin (an actual mail armour was used). Dancing was, therefore, out of question unless lungi dance was the objective.”
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NeDhaPa
January 11, 2016
Interesting read:
“in some ways, Bajirao Mastani also depicts the seven stages of love as defined in Arabic literature. The seven stages comprise hub (attraction), uns (infatuation), ishq (love), aqeedat (reverence), ibaadat (worship), junoon (obsession), and maut (death). We see these stages in some form or the other. The first time Bajirao and Mastani get attracted to each other in the middle of the war. Behoshi me bhi aap unse aise lipti hui thi, jaise do nahi ek ho. Then, there is infatuation when he visits her in her chambers, and he gives his dagger to her after looking at her deep wounds. They celebrate Holi. She tells him to paint her in the color of love. This infatuation turns into love when he is about to leave. She then leaves Bundelkhand because of ishq to meet him. Her love for him is like Radha’s love for Krishna. Patni to Radha bhi nahi thi, lekin naam to Krishna ke saath unhi ka liya jata hai na. This ishq turns to reverence. Tujhe yaad kar liya hai, aayat ki tarah, kaayam tu ho gayi hai, rivaayat ki tarah. I have memorized you, like an aayat, a holy prayer. For me, you have now become a custom and a ritual. They both start trusting and respecting each other; he will fight for her respect even it means to go against the world, he will go against his family to protect her honor. This slowly becomes into an ibaadat. Aaj ibaadat roobaroo ho gayi, jo maangi thi us dua se guftgoo ho gayi. The one for whom I have worshipped and prayed for, I’ve come face to face with her today. What I was desiring for, I’ve had a conversation with her. Slowly, this ibaadat turns into an obsession for them. She cannot live without him, and neither can he. Humare dil ek saath dhadhakte hai aur rukte bhi ek saath. He is ready to give up anything for her, and she will do anything to be with him. In the process, they lose their own identity. In the final stages, Bajirao’s junoon becomes hallucinations where he sees fate and destiny conspiring against him and Mastani. He fights an imaginary war with his inner faceless demons. Death is the only escape from this madness, and it comes to them at the same time. The final stage of love is achieved and they are immortalized for the years to come and everyone will take their name together as one. They have been united forever. “
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brangan
January 11, 2016
NeDhaPa: That’s why the Peshwa celebrates his victory with an idiotic dance with too many jumps and is joined by his heavily armoured troops. You could walk with great difficulty while wearing chain mail… Dancing was, therefore, out of question unless lungi dance was the objective.”
OMG. What an idiotically “realistic” way to look at a song-and-dance sequence. Next, the author will be mocking the fact that everyone knows all the words and all the steps. (sighs and shakes head)
Or is this piece a satire/parody of some sort?
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Punee
January 11, 2016
brangan: It is not a satire, I read it a while ago and gauging from the comments and the tone, the author actually believes that he’s being serious. Or at least “realistic” which is all that some intellectuals care about these days anyway.
Sutheesh Kumar: You took the time to appreciate my idealism, thank you 🙂
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Punee
January 11, 2016
NeDhaPa: Is there a link to the seven stages of love quote. Its beautiful!
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An Jo
January 11, 2016
An Jo, to avoid future complications just one question, are you male or female? 🙂
Last I knew I was still a man. And I don’t do/undergo online sex-change operations depending on blog-discussion situations. Also am not under the illusion that BR’s blog is a date-blog..[one of the members here has had a bad experience and heart-break when an online dudette turned out to be a dude..there was too much emotional investment there..but guess some stories just keep repeating..]
Hope that puts your and others at ease??
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Punee
January 11, 2016
I just saw An Jo’s comment (which I think vaguely references me!) and wanted to make it clear that I don’t treat the internet as a place to find dates (what is a “date-blog” anyway?!) but I can’t have a once in a a lifetime experience and ignore it because I am too afraid- or what would be the point of me having the principles that I do?
If apex turns out to be a girl, then Ramit Bajaj’s dream will come true, if otherwise, probably mine will 🙂
This also indicates to me that I must stop commenting here, as I dislike to the core that my life choices are being commented upon like this (but I probably brought it upon myself by being open…).
apex- the real world awaits, I shall see you there! Who knows, we may end up being friends at the very least! 🙂
Adios to the rest of you! 🙂
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An Jo
January 11, 2016
@ Punee: This was NOT directed at you. AT ALL. Whoever is the person will know it. You don’t need to leave on account of me. I apologize if you felt that way.
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Saurabh
January 11, 2016
NeDhaPa wrote: Be careful apex. Punee and saurabh appeared together (and some other ids). You know what I am talking about
Somebody is feeling too protective about apex. NeDhaPa, care to tell us your gender please.
Oh wait, I apologize for my enquiry, gender won’t necessarily explain much. 🙂
On a side note, congratulations Brangan for hosting a movie-opinion blog as well as a cupid-comment section. Thrilled, aren’t you?
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MANK
January 11, 2016
Now Ranveer is cocky and going around putting his name in the same breath as Daniel Day Lewis!!!! Amitabh, the god of acting, always says he is no big deal. So much difference between a newbie and a real legend
That is a very harsh and unfair statement. Ranveer has a childlike infectious energy which i find very endearing and irritating at the same time. But he comes across really genuine to me. he reminds me of SRK when he was at the beginning stage of his career. And please where does it say that actors have to be always humble? Let me tell you the so called humility of great actors – whether here or in hollywood – are a put on and a lot of spin. And its not like he is going around issuing statements that he is the Daniel day lewis of this country. what he does is answering to a question of his process of becoming the character. As for tom toming the process, In hollywood, just see how Leo dicaprio & his cohorts are going around publicizing his performance in Revenant – and to somehow get him that elusive oscar. Eating raw bison lever, sleeping in animal carcasses. Please what has all that got to do with actual craft of acting. But thats what actors always do. its no different whether it is bollywood or hollywood.
Honestly i dont think neither Day lewis or Russel crowe could have given the perfect performance required for that character and SLB film. it is not just pure acting, but a combination of several perfomance arts. Just think of how day lewis and russel crowe failed miserably when they tried to combine music and drama in Les miserable and Nine.
in some ways, Bajirao Mastani also depicts the seven stages of love as defined in Arabic literature.
That reminded me of Dedh ishqya. just the moment in the film where Naseer and arshad discuss the seven stages. ishq -sex, aqeedat sex, ibaadat sex, junoon sex,….. it was damn funny
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NeDhaPa
January 11, 2016
@BR:
” You could walk with great difficulty while wearing chain mail… Dancing was, therefore, out of question unless lungi dance was the objective.””
I agree with Nana’s opinion (link below). Poetic liberties are ok and movie maker doesn’t have to depict realism but one should still pursue truth or spirit of the character. Otherwise why name it Bajirao. Like Ram Gopal ke Sholay, it should be named Bhasali-ke bajirao. If I want to make movie on Sherlock Holmes, 21st century Sherlock, I would make the character exactly like Benedict Cumberback. The spirit of Sherlock is same, the genius of Sherlock is right on money even if times have changed. Otherwise it is character named Sherlock and not Doyle’s sherlock and if it is former, it is cheating the audience because they came to movie theater thinking it was ACD’s sherlock.
This of course is my opinion.
So rahi baat dance ki, I wouldn’t show that sort of a dance on Bajirao or a damcing bajirao at all. I would cut out pinga-pinga totally if I wanted people to take me seriously as a director 😉 (u)
Bajirao-Mastani is still a good piece of work but it needs a serious re-edit to make it a great piece of work. 😉
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apex
January 12, 2016
“The seven stages comprise hub (attraction), uns (infatuation), ishq (love), aqeedat (reverence), ibaadat (worship), junoon (obsession), and maut (death). ”
Wow thanx 4 that… PURE stuff..
Havin said that, just noticed that Mastaani aka deepika is lookin gr8 after her ‘beach’ hols… hmmm
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brangan
January 12, 2016
MANK: My thoughts exactly about the bison liver. I’ve been collecting a lot of this info in the hope that I can write a column about “acting” vs “bison-liver acting” and how (especially now in Leo’s case) SUFFERING for art is often mistaken for craft. Maybe when Revenant hits these shores…
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NeDhaPa
January 12, 2016
MANK “That is a very harsh and unfair statement. Ranveer has a childlike infectious energy which i find very endearing and irritating at the same time.”
my opinion on Ranveer has gone from hate->dislike->indifference->he is ok (like seven stages of love). He is alright but not thespian that critics would like us to believe. I would say he is improving and is good in certain scenes but doesn’t yet know what being the character is and still inconsistent. Mercifully he was ok and didn’t totally butcher the character (which could have happened). The one quality I do like in him is his desire to be auteur (but then I guess VarunD would also qualify). He was just so-so in lootera or the ship/cruise movie of Zoya. But the critics go ga-ga (not our BR but in general) “kya acting kar dala”. Unfortunately the star system is such that the artists like Sanjeev Kumar of yore may not survive in present era. I now wish that SLB had scaled his BM down to bare bones and made it with Manoj Bajpai. In fact someone should do just that. There are so many underutilized actors and it drives me nuts to see likes of Sonam Kapoor and all other star kids (including bigb’s offspring) get chance upon chance for not having major talent. The audience is loser of course.
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apex
January 12, 2016
“Somebody is feeling too protective about apex. NeDhaPa, care to tell us your gender please.”
@ nee dha pa: do u know me (or vice versa)? Ha
Xxxx
@ B-Ran: thanx 4 an outstanding comment about the “bison-liver acting” .. And THIS sort of comment is why KIDS like me come to your site to learn (amongst other things)…
Yeah, There IS a certain SNOB APPEAL invested into these performances and a certain MANUFACTURED HYPE has to be added to it to impart it a certain ‘weight’… especially if it’s the ELUSIVE OSCAR that’s being attempted as in Leo’s case..
But underneath this faux hype, I feel, if done for the correct reasons it does have an impact ..
“SUFFERING” is also a part of this value addition process though I will say “DEPRIVATION” is more apt..
On a related note, I do believe in the Imtiaz Ali /ranbir starrer ROCKSTAR dictum that DEPRIVATION does add to ones ARTISTIC and musical tendencies
Be it Daniel day Lewis’s method acting ‘techniques’ or Jordan’s musical inspirations (in rockstar–another fave performance) or ranveers forced seclusion for bajirao …
Especially if this DEPRIVATION is SELF-INDUCED or self created..
This does create an environment for liberation of a certain ENERGY, even CREATIVE JUICES ..(no pun intended) …
apex
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NeDhaPa
January 12, 2016
BR and MANK: don’t be so hard on my DiCaprio. I know his story and have lot of admiration for him. Cannot take Ranveer’s name in the same breath as my Leo. 🙂
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drunken monkey
January 12, 2016
@apex: OT but since Jordan has been brought in..One my friend, a lil elder (in his mid 30s now) got impatient in the car one day and asked “Dai! Rockstar ellan ippadi rasikarenu nambave mudila” and the argument went eeperd and he said “What kind of a stupid decision was that to use Mohit for a rockstar’s voice? why it’s wrong can be well countered by raja’s right use of yesudas for sindhubharavi.” He infact went on to point out why farhan in rockon is a smart decision without getting into ‘how the music was’ argument.
Have you guys came across a discussion on this elsewhr? cc@brangan.
P.S: He’s not another silly rahman hater-raja lover fellow.
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apex
January 12, 2016
The blogosphere is really missing Punee…
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brangan
January 13, 2016
Interesting analysis about the longevity of a film.
“Bajirao Mastani box office collections… beat Dilwale, PK, others”
http://www.financialexpress.com/article/lifestyle/showbiz/bajirao-mastani-box-office-collections-at-rs-167-10-cr-beat-aamir-khans-pk-shah-rukh-khans-dilwale-others/192814/
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MANK
January 13, 2016
He is alright but not thespian that critics would like us to believe
I now wish that SLB had scaled his BM down to bare bones and made it with Manoj Bajpai
NeDhaPa, you see these statements are very much interrelated. SLB is never going to make barebones of anything. what he does, even with a bare bones tale like Black or Guzaarish is to blown them up to the scale of Opera. You may like it or hate it, but that is who he is. What SLB requires is not exactly a thespian. He requires more of a performance artist that can combine several artistic disciplines that his movies require. No actor has ever been so successful at playing this SLB hero better than Ranveer, hence the universal acclaim
As for scaling BM down to its bones, well that has to be some other director. Shyam benegal – he made the bare bones junoon you know or Bharat ek khoj- or someone like Tigmanshu dhulia or so.
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MANK
January 13, 2016
But i don’t understand this obsession with the bare bones version. Why is it the only way to tell a story. Look at the Jesus christ story. We have the Demillian scale of King of Kings, Greatest story ever told. then there is the bare bones version of Pasolini’s Gospel according to st.Mathew or Scorsese’s revisionist – Last temptation of christ. Each version has its own importance and Beauty IMO.
The same way with the lead protagonist too. Even though it is Jesus christ who is portrayed in all the films, the christ character is very different in each one. each one is a personalized account of the respective directors. So Christ played by William Defoe in Last temptation is cut from the same cloth as Travis Bickle, Jake La Motta, Johnny boy or its ilk. He is christ but he is very much the typical Scorsese protagonist. That is what i expect when i go to watch a film of a good filmmaker. i expect him to personalise the story and characters. Lawrence of Arabia is not much like the T.E. Lawrence of seven pillars of wisdom. He -as played by Peter o’Toole – is very much a David Lean -Robert bolt creation.
I wonder why only in our country that we have this obsession to stick strictly to history (which itself is dubious at best) that is why i am surprised at the observations about similarities between Bajirao and SLB’s other protagonists. Of course there will be common threads running through them. May be that’s why this story has obsessed him for more than 10 years. You really dont need to announce it like sanjay leela bhansali ki Bajirao. that is absurd. when i am going to watch a film on Bajirao made by SLB, then it is more than obvious to me that this is SLB ki Bajirao. what i want to see is his take on that story. The only question for me is whether that satisfies me or not. Better or for worse that’s me. otherwise i would rather watch a documentary on Bajirao and Mastani
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MANK
January 13, 2016
Cannot take Ranveer’s name in the same breath as my Leo
Sorry to rub it in, but given a choice between watching Leo or Ranveer , i would watch Ranveer any day.:-). I have seen the Revenant and let me tell you that if great acting is supposed to be suffering every physical hardship that the nature can throw upon you then, Leo deserves every award for the performance 😉
And dunno why you say that Ranveer is just ok. I think he has the skills set and the gift for being both a great actor and a great mainstream masala hero. what he lacks at this point of time in his career is a certain maturity and experience Hence that certain amount of inconsistency in his performances .But that i am sure will come in time.Of course a lot will depend on his future choice of roles and his temperament .But i can say this , that he is one actor i love watching irrespective of the quality of the movie or the director.. that is more than what i can ever say of Mr.Dicaprio.:P
ROFL on the star kids, hero parody video. i suppose salman and his god children deserves every bit of sarcasm they get. 🙂
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NeDhaPa
January 13, 2016
@MANK “But i don’t understand this obsession with the bare bones version”
The only reason I am saying this (do a barebone version but with a real actor vs a star) is because to make it larger than life, operatic version, you need to hire stars, so you get the studio backing the gigantic budget and therefore you cannot consider hiring REAL artists who could justify the Bajirao. So in SLB movies and in many other auteur directors, you see that all the side characters are theater personalities or damn good actors playing those parts. Here too theater actor Vaibhav Tatwawdi/Chimaji looked more peshwa that Bajirao and did a superb job. In Ram-Leela it was character actors like Richa Chadda who were hired to deliver. Now Richa could have brought much more to Leela (but I guess I need to stop dreaming).
If you look at all our good movies, say your dedh ishqia, the movie/plot was driven by great actors and the budget was low enough to make the movie with good plot lines and provide great entertainment. To make his magnum opus, kashyap had to fire ranveer and hire ranbir (though it still flopped) mainly because Ranveer at that time didn’t have enough star power to pull 100 crore budget.
“Lawrence of Arabia is not much like the T.E. Lawrence of seven pillars of wisdom. He -as played by Peter o’Toole – is very much a David Lean -Robert bolt creation “
The key words are Peter o’Toole. A charismatic Shakespearean actor. He didn’t hire Jean Van Dam or Stallone or chuck norris or steven segal. In hollywood you have option to hire a star who is also great actor, I suppose. I can’t think of great actors when I look at current stars in bollywood. Bachchan, Aamir Khan… they are all wrong side of 40.
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brangan
January 13, 2016
NeDhaPa: Aamir Khan? Great actor? And mentioned in the same line as Bachchan? (gulp)
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NeDhaPa
January 13, 2016
“Sorry to rub it in, but given a choice between watching Leo or Ranveer , i would watch Ranveer any day”
Some people prefer Rakhi Sawant over Kangana. What can I say to a person having poor choice and taste?
(p.s: sorry if the punch was bit hard but all is fair in love and war)
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NeDhaPa
January 13, 2016
BR: I am trying to be “fair” ok. There is no one like Bachchan and there never will be (but then Aamir fans may kill me, no?)
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Ram Murali
January 13, 2016
NeDhaPa – de gustibus non est disputandum
(Ashutosh – wherever you are, this comment is dedicated to you!)
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apex
January 14, 2016
this piece gets my stamp of approval– in my opinion the best piece on Bajirao Mastaani, by far…thanx bollybrit …
“The principal characters in Bhansali’s cinematic universe are all superego and id, sex drive and death drive, high passion and high dudgeon, and they, like their creator, do little by half-measures. I wrote in an earlier piece that a SLB love story, at least Devdas onward, is generally “a horror film of sorts. Love is both god and monster; and since there is no fleeing from it, the infuriating, fascinating victims in Bhansali’s cavernous yet claustrophobic world run toward it, bloodied and crazed.”
Romantic love as sublime torture, as the thorn in your side (or, if we’re being referential, in your foot) that you leave there till you are near-dead and orgasmic with the poison in your system, is not an easy or even pleasant notion to buy into, but Bhansali realizes this notion with such Quixotic mania in every aspect of his movies that I, for one, invariably find myself impressed, if not always moved. He is a true visionary, a filmmaker whose ambition is matched by an ability to hard-sell his worldview (perverse as it may seem to many) through the almost wracking beauty of his visuals and music and the dogged, unflagging thrust of his narrative toward the rousingly tragic.
“padukone is, in general, tremendous in the film…”
Bhansali’s abiding interest has been viraha, the separation of lovers that is heavy with pain and an almost spiritual sort of longing. I was a little taken aback when I thought back on his oeuvre and realized that, despite the reputation his films have for the chemistry between their main leads, the lovers of his films spend very little time in each other’s company. Kept apart by circumstances and wounded pride and intransigent families, they are, after the initial courtship, mostly shown pining for one another. The separation of the titular couple, less organic here than in Bhansali’s other films (since she marries him and lives right across the hall, so to speak) might have become Bajirao Mastani’s biggest downfall were it not for its lead actors. Singh and Padukone make so much heat and light out of the surprisingly meager screen-time they have together (and very little by way of interesting storytelling about the two of them as a unit post-marriage) that it is on the strength of their chemistry alone that the film holds together.
Read more at http://www.bollybrit.com/features/bajirao-mastani-an-experience#kFkVTWHjl7HcW3TS.99
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MANK
January 14, 2016
What can I say to a person having poor choice and taste?
My sentiments exactly. So I am not going to say anything 🙂
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NeDhaPa
January 14, 2016
MANK that wasn’t all that good comeback or punch.. you need to work on it. subjective and what not, all the actors and their acting is in “grey” area. They are only as good as a script/ director/ right-place-right-time.. so many factors… one is perfect only till more perfect person comes along.. lol. Ranveer is outsider and for that itself I applaud his success over all those star offsprings and I can saying he is improving. He has passion for the craft which is good to see. And I applaud Adi Chopra for providing that chance to non-filmy people.
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NeDhaPa
January 14, 2016
“Bhansali’s abiding interest has been viraha”
They cry-cry-cry and cry some more. The hero. heroine. the other woman. They do this in mirrored mehals, havelis while wearing exquisite clothing, hair, makeup and all the dialoguebazi-nautanki that goes with it. ):| (;| :]
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RT
January 15, 2016
@Punee
“Also re: Kashibai and Bajirao, it gets worse. Per an interview with a descendant of Kashi’s brother:
“…once an owner of 300 acres of land, Mahadji [Kashi’s father] was a wealthy sahukar (moneylender) as well as the subedar of the Maratha empire in Kalyan, a factor which he claims, played a strong role in the alliance of Bajirao and Kashibai. They were married in 1711, when Bajirao was 11 years and Kashibai, only eight.” – See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/kashibai-the-first-lady/#sthash.lw1TqBkk.dpuf”
I don’t know how accurate that is. According to Wikipedia, Bajirao and Kashibai were married in 1720, just before he became Peshwa, so he must have been around 20 years old.
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apex
January 15, 2016
@RT – Don’t argue with Punee on this –she’s doin a PhD on this subject 🙂
@ nedhapa–apparently “viraha” is not just an inspiration or abiding interest for bhansali but has fuelled most of the Sufi writings (& was partly depicted in the music of rockstar), even some Tagore poems besides the gopis ‘divine love’ for the ultimate–lord Krishna …(or so, I’m readin now)…
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apex
January 16, 2016
Btw rankat split? The ‘saga’ continues yo 🙂
Milke bhi, hum na mile, tum se na jaane kyun.
meelon ke, hai faasle, tum se na jaane…
Lovin it..
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apex
January 16, 2016
Bajirao with Mastaani (& Kashibai) Sweeps filmfares..
Reminds me of the “Climbing (the elephant)” scene….
Total debauchery
Re Baji re baji ri,,,, 🙂
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RT
January 16, 2016
@apex
I’m not arguing … just trying to help with the PhD 🙂
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the brangan fan
January 16, 2016
sir,
i found many similarities between the album of BM and ram leela:
malhari and tattad tattad…. mohr rang do and ang laga de… aayat and laal ish/poore chand… albela sajan and mor bani gan (both songs already exist traditionally)…. fitoori and ram chahe leela…. deewani matsani to dhoop… gajanana to nagada sang…
why is this so?did u also feel it??
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Rohit Sathish Nair
January 16, 2016
You didn’t find Aaj Ibaadat and Laal Ishq to be similar?
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NeDhaPa
January 17, 2016
@brfan:
Jhaverchand Meghani wrote mor bani thangat and the song is part of popular gujarati folk song. The history of this song is very interesting. Meghani was Tagore fan. The song is actually a translation of bangla song Tagore wrote. Could you ever tell that by listening to below though. Hats off to SLB for adopting it for R-L.
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the brangan fan
January 17, 2016
Rohit Sathish Nair: yes, but laal ish and aayat are both by the same singer no??
NeDhaPa: i guess slb’s version is the best 🙂 ??
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apex
January 17, 2016
@ RT: haha yeah there’s enuf ‘material’ now for a PhD…
Btw I’m thinking I should start a course or training modules for this (& related) subjects 🙂
Already have a student or two…
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apex
January 18, 2016
Contd from above, noticed some of the internet & twitterati stuff floating about the ranbir katrina breakup is a bit distasteful & bordering on crass. Anyhow I like “tu jaane na” …
Also, just to clarify that the ‘PhD’ bit & my becoming a ‘love guru’ of sorts, is just an innocent joke and in good humour … btw we continue to miss Punees comments here… I remain a ‘student’..
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Arjun
January 18, 2016
Punee is retired hurt. we need a substitute
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NeDhaPa
January 18, 2016
@BRFAN: SLB’s version certainly has more pan-indian appeal to it and thanks to his genius for bringing folk art to fore truely…he kept the beginning portions which are truely soul-stirring, which was unlike the bollywood gujarati garba or bollywoodised version of “folk” (like the punjabi stuff that is shown in movies…mostly BW is punjabification of hindi movies). I suppose this is why he can be conferred title of auteur.
The whole history of song (maru maan mor bani thangat kare) appealed to me and Meghani of course is gujarati classical writer.
Watch this song, you may not remember sting and this song in long run, but the arabic lyrics that we don’t understand, will have a life lasting impact (in my case it does anyway).
and this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhaverchand_Meghani
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Punee
January 18, 2016
Hey! Thanks for missing me.
I have been on a vacation at a place with barely any internet. Been thinking a lot. And watched Bajirao Mastani yet again…
I don’t think they make ’em like Bajirao anymore 🙂 Most men these days are so mollycoddled and spoilt, that they don’t want to go after anything that is difficult. Society in general also has made the Madonna vs. Whore complex stronger and starker…you have to be one or the other…
That scene where Bajirao finds that his letters haven’t reached Mastani and he then sees his mother walk in, and pulls Mastani to stand beside him, loud and proud, without a single word spoken….
His rawness is almost brutish and animalistic. The great thing about animals is they can’t hide when they want something…
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apex
January 20, 2016
“Punee is retired hurt. we need a substitute”
It’s vv v difficult to get a ‘substitute’ 4 Punee — some (here also) are trying to tho lol
Wow whatta comment Punee…
From the ‘animalistic’ point, if one goes ‘deeper’—
Lemme say: This ‘animal’ soul of the ‘flesh’, the ‘intellectual’ soul of the ‘mind’ and then the ‘spiritual’ soul aka the ‘higher self’ apparently culminates in the full self….
And therein becomes : the ‘complete’ man … 😉
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Punee
January 20, 2016
apex: Ah, the complete man perfectly described- is it a mirage or are there really such men? They don’t seem to exist.
Fearless, deep thinker and spiritual lover- an almost impossible combination. Ranveer himself said in an interview that he needs to learn to be more fearless from Bajirao who was not afraid of battling anyone- society, armies or family.
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
January 21, 2016
After reading Apex’s flamboyant and charming comments here am wondering if it is indeed Ranveer Singh himself who is posting these comments incognito.
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Punee
January 21, 2016
Sutheesh Kumar: O.M.G. I would die if that were true.
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
January 22, 2016
Hi Baradwaj Rangan,
Looks like everyone missed Varun Grover’s (of Masaan fame) comment here except for you.
Regarding Apex, what i meant was that i don’t recall reading any of his comments prior to this review, either that or my memory has gone on vacation.
The comments for Bajirao Mastaani started on 21.12.15 and Apex’s comments started to appear only from 05.01.16 i.e., after your review. Then this enigmatic message from Apex:
Ok, this is dedicated to ALL THE LOVELY GALS of this blog –so that nobody feels “picked upon” (or “left out”)– Have been ENAMOURED by this EPIC dialogue that’s been running thru my system for a few days (& nites!)– ever since I’ve “written” it .. PURE stuff.. 🙂
‘Kiski talvaar pe sar rakhu ye bata do mujhe,
Ishq karna gar khata hai to saza do mujhe…’
The key line is ‘ever since i’ve “written” it’.
Please note that the written part is emphasised, the rest i leave to your imagination. Most of his comments after this too are kind of in line with Ranveer’s persona.
On a different note my friends it’s easier to hate than love, my policy about downvoting is not to downvote at all, a little restraint will only help in spreading love. Tolerance is very important. If in doubt, please learn from the magnanimity of the owner of this blog, though the power for moderation rests with him, he always allows all kinds of comments and discussions here, negative or positive doesn’t matter because he values your opinion.
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apex
January 22, 2016
Thanx Merci Monsieur Sutheesh for the kind words –so truuuuu
2 heck wid humility-
Look m8, u r spot on korrect 🙂
Ok ok peoplez, I’m jus an innocent learner & an ignorant observer …blah blah blah
Thanx Punee —” O.M.G. I would die if that were true”
but plz don’t die, pleez cut my hair 🙂
demo @ 4:10 here
Marne ki sau wajah hai jeene ki sirf ek ….Maloom?
Ok, Some words I’ve written (copied)
Leharon mein jaise lehrein milein
aise mill gayi dilon ki dhadkan….tbc
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Punee
January 22, 2016
Thats the cutest reference @apex. OK, I’ll cut your hair 🙂
On a side note, how do you know exactly what will bring a smile to my face?
hum paas aaye to kyun paas aaye
socho to baat hai zaraa si
🙂
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Punee
January 22, 2016
@Suteesh: You said,
“The key line is ‘ever since i’ve “written” it’.
Please note that the written part is emphasised, the rest i leave to your imagination. Most of his comments after this too are kind of in line with Ranveer’s persona.”
While I agree that the comments are very Ranveer-ish, I must point out that the person who actually has written those lines is Prakash Kapadia 🙂
Thanks for the fantasy though 😛 For a minute there, my heart was thudding really hard! 😀
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
January 23, 2016
Punee, but still why such a line? Anyway as Apex said who am i to argue with someone with a PhD on this subject. I rest my case.
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Punee
January 23, 2016
@Sutheesh Kumar: “Punee, but still why such a line?”
Because apex is as adorable and charming as Ranveer? 🙂 I know, I know, its difficult to believe that there might be two such amazing men in the world, but its true 🙂
Also I just saw RT’s comment about Kashi and Bajirao’s wedding and his age at the time. Wikipedia is a sketchy source at best (especially when compared to the descendants) and given the other events in his life kinda hard to believe. Eg: How did he have such a grown up son- Nanasaheb looks at least 11-12 when they go to the Aaina Mahal and much older when his father dies. Unless you are implying that Bajirao and Kashibai did the deed prior to their wedding 🙂
Plus child marriage was the norm back then (300 or so years ago), why even a 100 years ago it was the norm. My own great-grandmother was married at 13 and died at 35 after having 11 children and 4 still-births.
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apex
January 23, 2016
“Hum saath…” –an obscure line thrown in by me & u picked it right Punee wow
U aren’t my teacher 4 nuthin.. Lol
Will give u a ‘prize’ for this –here
Ok, ofcourse 4 official purposes-we r jus appreciatin the bass guitar on the trippy rock base ..& the ‘INSTICTIVE choreography’ (let’s cal it dat) …. 😉
Rnt v…
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apex
January 23, 2016
Typos galore —it’s “hum pass” & “instinctive”
Gess 1 shouldn’t type fr0m 0dd positions …
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Punee
January 23, 2016
Itna sa prize? Thats it? I expected more… kya dil ki sun li tumne? 😉
Since I saw your quote, I ended up watching the movie- so I just got here from watching this song 🙂 It’s such a Wodehouse-ian script- love this movie!
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
January 24, 2016
Hello friends, in terms of words this comment section might be a record, but we are just two comments short of making this the most commented thread on BR’s blog.
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RT
January 24, 2016
@Punee:
“Also I just saw RT’s comment about Kashi and Bajirao’s wedding and his age at the time. Wikipedia is a sketchy source at best (especially when compared to the descendants)”
Two things.
1. The link you’ve supplied from Indian Express is not clear if it was Kashibai’s brother’s descendants who’ve provided the date of their marriage. It could be the person writing the article who’s added that detail.
2. Even if it was the descendants, there’s no indication of what evidence they have for that claim. Given the information we have, I’d rather trust Wikipedia.
About the 2nd part of your comment:
“and given the other events in his life kinda hard to believe. Eg: How did he have such a grown up son- Nanasaheb looks at least 11-12 when they go to the Aaina Mahal and much older when his father dies. Unless you are implying that Bajirao and Kashibai did the deed prior to their wedding :)”
You’re drawing a conclusion about the historical date of their marriage based on the apparent age of the actor playing the part of their son in a movie?
As for Nanasaheb, he was around 10 when Bajirao and Mastani were married and around 20 when they died.
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apex
January 24, 2016
@ RT–with these things, guess it’s like this m8…
If I say confidently, that I WAS bajirao in a previous life and I obviously knew Mastaani
This can’t be confirmed but can the possibility be conclusively eliminated??
That’s the nature of the beast..
So in faux-historicals, a certain leap of faith is inherent (either ways)…
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apex
January 24, 2016
“Hello friends, in terms of words this comment section might be a record.we are just two comments short of making this the most commented thread on BR’s blog.”
There you go, lemme do the honours …to put it beyond doubt…
This is dedicated to all those who took this “leap of faith” with us to make this a record here …and joined in our ‘passion’
Andhi Roke to hum toofan
Toofan Roke to hum AAG ka dariya …
Ps: (if difficult to compete in other things), my policy is to make it work other ways — Quality if not quantity or vice versa … By hook or by crook 🙂
And if all else fails–I go for the ‘length’ – Length matters (no pun intended plz, let’s keep this blog clean)…
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Punee
January 24, 2016
RT: All that apex said about faux historicals.
Also- given the nature of Hindu marriage, especially in the Chitpavan Brahmin community- note that it has mutated to adults getting an arranged marriage per their parents wishes only in the 21st century, but for most of history it has been about arranged marriages between literal children. So yeah, wikipedia is not a source I would trust in this particular matter.
Finally- wikipedia is such a sketchy source that in the Bajirao page it says he had three sons with Kashibai and in the Kashibai page it says she had four sons with Bajirao. So. Yeah.
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
January 24, 2016
A little surprised that there was no mention about Bajirao Mastaani’s big at Filmfare, at least by Punee.
Also surprised that Roy won for best music, i was hoping that Bombay Velvet, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy or Tamasha would win.
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MANK
January 24, 2016
I am glad that this is now the most commented thread on Brangan’s blog and am happy to have contributed towards this.. This is a movie review that deserves it. Most importantly, the commenters pretty much stuck to the subject with minimal diversions ie pretty much 🙂
special kudos to the star of the thread (you know who? 🙂 ) and glad to see she is back for good and doing what she does best 😉
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Punee
January 24, 2016
Sutheesh Kumar: I was really really happy for SLB that Bajirao won so much. He deserved it. And of course Ranveer was like the King 🙂
“Ab ghulami ki zanjeer nahi
sirf jeet ka gulaal hoga
ye shapat hai bajirao ballal ki”
🙂
I think the Filmfare awards are popular awards. Despite my deep and abiding love for the music of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy especially, you must admit that Roy had the most popular and fun music…suraj dooba hai is such an anthem for selfishness 🙂 Loved it!
MANK: Thank you ❤
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
January 25, 2016
Manu Krishnan, you are a superdude bro. It was your highly spirited volley of words with Pune that was the highlight of this thread and of course Apex, RT, NeDhaPa, Saurabh et. al who made this discussion so passionate and memorable.
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
January 25, 2016
Punee, i second you about the popularity part, but if the same yard stick were used then Bhajrangi Bhaijaan would have swept all the Awards. That is why i felt a tad disappointed that the eclectic work for Detective Byomkesh Bakshy and a technically accomplished effort for Bombay Velvet were not rewarded.
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Sutheesh Kumar. P. S.
January 25, 2016
Well there is another thing about this thread, that it brought out so many lurkers including me and i must confess, that i don’t follow any other comment section so diligently, except Milliblog, Musicaloud and Fragrantica.
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Punee
January 25, 2016
@Sutheesh Kumar: I honestly don’t think Bajrangi Bhaijaan was as popular as Bajirao Mastani. I mean the awards were held barely a few weeks after the latter released and yet it had so much popularity- to rival all the movies that had months of “talk” about them. And I don’t think Bajrangi Bhaijaan would have been as popular without you know, Sallu 🙂
Roy on the other hand was a small movie and despite that people went crazy about the music (which wasn’t “Bad” btw)- I don’t think Bombay Velvet was anywhere close…dont think too many of the hoi polloi liked it is my guess. Same with Detective Byomkesh Bakshy- a lot of my friends were scratching their head when I bought the entire album- they just didn’t get what I liked about it.
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MANK
January 25, 2016
Sutheesh Kumar. P. S., Thanks Bro. I really enjoyed the discussion here. It was 2 things. the film was worth discussing a lot and Punee was a worthy adversary 🙂
I am glad that lot of you lurkers come out for this thread. That is why we reached this milestone without much help from our other regulars here 🙂 It was fun reading all your comments. Dont know when another thread like this would come around.
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asmamasood
January 31, 2016
My take on Bajirao Mastani:
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apex
February 2, 2016
@ asmamasood: ur review was interesting tho i dont agree with the central point u r making.. which is obvious from my comments above.. Just like a director or an actor ‘prepares’ similarly theres a certain prep or ‘expectation’ a viewer needs to enjoy a particular film.. to take the ‘plunge’, so as to say.. U seem more interested in food and u need a three course meal than a movie .. 🙂
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apex
February 7, 2016
Deepika as a huntress in xxx
http://news.yahoo.com/lightbox/instagram-vin-diesel-1454659183892.html
Hawt, jus d thott 🙂
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Punee
February 7, 2016
An interesting interview with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, its mostly about the music but there are also mentions of his film-making process:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/interview-with-sanjay-leela-bhansali/article8199331.ece
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apex
February 9, 2016
Thanx Punee for that excellent link. Actually one can fully identify with Bhansali here.
Will add: Music (& song videos / background score/ OST) is becoming a more & more imp element of my enjoyment of films. Watch much lesser films now given time constraints. But do enjoy promos and some music pieces /songs that u can listen to even whilst working or driving…or… And this is a unique quality in indian films that needs to be CELEBRATED
Also, I used to be lyrics deaf earlier and could appreciate only the rhythm, tempo, instrumentation, musical arrangement. But recently got this knack of lyrics… which opens up a different world as well. There are films that are utterly forgettable & flaccid. But it doesn’t ban them from having a good tune or two… an example of a CRAP film that I NEVER WATCHED but with ONE reasonable song track, picturised well & having strong backstory & leadpair nostalgia..
Duniya bhula ke tumse mila hoon
Nikli hai dil se yeh duaa…
(With arms outstretched…)
🙂
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Punee
February 10, 2016
@apex: I am a huge lyrics person, and a big-time Gulzar fan, so glad to know you have come around to appreciating lyrics too 🙂
I watched Dilwale a day before I watched B-M and this song is the reason!
My favorite lines are:
Veeran tha dil ka jahaan,
jis din se tu dakhil hua
ek jism se ek jaan ka
darja mujhe haasil hua 🙂
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apex
February 12, 2016
Thanx Punee: wow lyrics ..& thanx 4 teaching me 😉
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Punee
February 12, 2016
@apex: I taught you? haha! When? 😛
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apex
February 14, 2016
@ Punee: amidst all these ‘attacks’ in the other threads, something 2 cheer u up…
“@apex: I taught you? haha! When? :P”
Yes, u have also ‘contributed’ to my appreciation of lyrics (was lyrics blind earlier –only the ‘music’ bits made sense) so yeah I’ve been ‘educated’ somewhat …
Ok look I’ve written soem ‘original’ lyrics maloom
Ps: note how I’ve kept these lyrics simple & catchy so any1 can pick em up..THATS the key
Aisi Kya
Chali Hawa
Ke Le Gayi
Meri Sanson Ko Mujhse Door…..
🙂
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P
February 21, 2016
Deepika won the popular audience vote for her turn as Mastani in Bajirao Mastani at the Zee Cine Awards. Glad to know that at least the audience “got” her 🙂
Apex: Liar! That’s not original 🙂
From that movie, I prefer:
Kya Kya Karaogi khwabon mein humse,
badloon main Rang kitne khamakha
uda uda ban ke gubbara,
mera dil buddhu bechara,
haule haule tune pukara,
Jahaan bhi wahan ye jaaye!
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apex
February 21, 2016
Yeah Punee: to heck wid a bee cee zee “award functions”… I’ve already awarded Deepika my “apex award” for mastaani 🙂
Btw what did u think of deepika in Piku?
& U got it spot on both occasions.
Puneeta the great : This ones 4 u…
Kya kya karaaogee khwabon mein aake…
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P
February 25, 2016
Happy Birthday SLB 🙂 Finally done with my blog post about Bajirao Mastani… https://uchilpuneeta.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/bajirao-mastani-some-rambling-thoughts/
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apex
February 25, 2016
Wow Punee thanks
That’s brrrriiilliiant
“Every Bhansali love-story has a peacock motif. Its not just there in the walls and objects around the characters, but one character is always the peacock- uncaring for the world, arrogant, sensuous, self-obsessed, innocent, pure and absolutely impractical!
In Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam- it was Sameer…In Devdas it was Dev,….in Ram-Leela it was Ram…but in Bajirao-Mastani its Mastani, for the first time it is the woman who is perfectly content to live in a self-made world where nothing except her love exists. And that made all the difference :)”
Will read the rest in detail when can.
Tour de force .. 🙂
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apex
February 25, 2016
“Mastani’s love is like a pagan god, it springs out of her mind- fully formed, with no doubts, no worries, and an admirable focus. Like Athena springs out of the mind of Zeus, fully formed, ready for war.
Bajirao’s love is more coltish and wild- he doesn’t even know if its real…”
Will have to read this in parts when can
But with the opening line you have hit the “ball” outta the park, cheers 😉
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apex
February 25, 2016
Hmm this is GRRIIPPINNG stuff (no pun)
Punee, Will have to force myself to stop here after the opening line (& return soon to complete reading this piece)..
But can already say this much by the one line
It deserves an
APPLAUSE 🙂
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P
February 25, 2016
apex: Would appreciate it muchly (only if possible) if you wrote your comments on my blog-post, so I can save it for posterity 🙂
Thanks for the compliments. Its taken me two long months to write this! 🙂
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apex
February 26, 2016
An exceptional writeup
I’m HUMBLED
Still Transfixed by the opening para …
Found some bful artwork
https://mobile.twitter.com/Seda_Artist/status/702239547728465924
https://mobile.twitter.com/Seda_Artist/status/702240495917989888
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apex
February 26, 2016
Khud se naraaz hoon
Kyun be-aawaaz hoon
Meri khamoshiyan hain sazaa
Dil hai yeh sochta
Phir bhi nahi pataa
Kis haq se kahun bataa….
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apex
March 1, 2016
Jus noticed
Bajirao “INCHING” (no pun) 2wards the 300 mark in this thread
Yaiy 🙂
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apex
March 1, 2016
Closer to 300…. FAO Punee
Somethin I’ve inspired this painter to create lol
https://mobile.twitter.com/Seda_Artist/status/704365777357561858/photo/1
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apex
March 3, 2016
Number 299
https://mobile.twitter.com/Seda_Artist/status/704594495787147264
Latest from xxx
https://m.facebook.com/VinDiesel/photos/a.101465923312.101581.89562268312/10154082946653313/?type=3&source=48&locale2=en_US&tn=E
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apex
March 3, 2016
And there goes the 300 TH
Shoving the dagger in for the
TRIPLE CENTURY !!
Baji re Baji ree…
Thanks folks 4 making this the LONGEST thread ever in the history of BR blog, I’ve been told?
Oh these simple pleasures of life, make the kid in me happy 🙂
As my humble tribute to deepika here, the film of hers I love the most.
It was then I predicted great things for her, and she hasn’t looked back! (nor have I lol)
Lag yaar gale le saar meri
Mujhe kya parwah iss duniya ki
Tu jeet meri, jug haar meri
Main hoon hi nahi iss duniya ki….
I LOVED this film (barring the ending..)
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P
March 8, 2016
BR: Thanks for introducing me to Tanul Thakur, his BR review doesn’t really “Get” SLB’s bird’s eye viewpoint, but this description of Mastani falling for Bajirao is worth it’s weight in gold.
“Around 20 minutes into Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s latest, Bajirao Mastani, we see Mastani (Deepika Padukone), the daughter of Bundelkhand’s king, stand stunned in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by bloodthirsty warriors who are either killing or getting killed. This bloody battlefield should have caused Mastani to be particularly alert and on the attack, but instead she’s been rendered motionless by the sight of a Maratha warrior, Bajirao (Ranveer Singh), slaying her enemies. As Mastani keeps looking at Bajirao, the bodies around her continue to get massacred and fall; in a battleground where soldiers are losing their lives, Mastani has lost her heart. This scene is completely unreal, even illogical, and, yet, it is wholly enjoyable, even bizarrely believable — something that can unfold with this much aplomb only in a Bhansali film.”
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S.P
March 23, 2016
just watched the movie and read your review again . “Thokar paththar se bhi laga to haath talwar pakadta hai. Even if someone throws a pebble, her hand reaches for the sword”. Thokar doesn’t mean someone throwing a pebble at you.
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brangan
March 23, 2016
S.P I wasn’t going for an exact translation there. Was just trying to give a sense of how the smallest of things could make her reach for the sword.
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P
March 25, 2016
Watched it again. Its still showing at one theatre in Bombay. The alliterative nature of statements made by the leads is such that I discover something new everything I watch the movie.
This time- Bajirao right in the beginning after the peacock feather-test says “Jad pe vaar karo to bade se bada ped hil jaata hai”. (Attack the roots and the biggest of trees can quake). Poor thing, that is exactly what MaSaheb does to him,by using his son as a front to attack his love.
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mainland
March 27, 2016
All the comments make for interesting read… And I don’t even think anyone comes around these parts… but still I had to put this out here.
I don’t get all the talk about transcendental love ….and I am no peshwa princess…. but just thinking aloud here….
If I felt a modicum of love or deep caring for a man, especially a man of his standing….. would I ever put him in a situation or push him to do something that will bring him such ill repute, isolate him from everything and everyone so dear to him in his life, bring his downfall at the cost of getting /being with him? No…. I would never do that….
Isn’t it just plain selfishness/ self-indulgence and plain self-centeredness on her part to covet him at the cost of bringing him so much pain? How will she able to forgive herself for all the pain she bought about in his life and after all the initial fervor has died down, wouldn’t he, secretly at least, blame her for the mess she has created in his life?
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arielsomebody
March 31, 2016
India’s most overrated, if not actual worst filmmaker strikes again. i am not a fan of SLBs ‘sensibility’ clearly. Why can’t he just weave his fantasies out of whole cloth instead of picking historical stories and locales if he’s going to pay so little attention to detail?
Not the detail that he seems to care about but which viewers like me obviously do.
i hated how kashibai and mastani are applying kumkum to each other’s foreheads but there’s no kumkum visible because that would ruin bhansali’s idea of their perfect faces i suppose. Again when mastani cuts her finger and applies a blood tilak to bajirao it is formed as a perfect circle in the middle of his vibhuti. This is the kind of attention to ‘detail’ that he practices.
somebody please tell him that you don’t manufacture beauty by editing out real life like some sort of ocd, you learn to find the moments in real life that are beautiful, and study how those are constructed and then strive to elevate your whole life on those lines.
What i am saying is that his artificial depiction of everything is anti-cathartic.
Also hated the ridiculous persianized urdu type hindi or whatever it was supposed to be that all the marathas were speaking. yeah i know, basically standard bolly stuff, but what is this guy, he’s supposed to be making a period film and blowing a fortune on the budget or whatever. Clearly he’s spending it all on photoshopping people’s tilaks to be perfect.
Of course there was no consistency in anyone’s character, the dialogue was terrible per usual, some heavy handed ‘will die for love’ type sentiment but lacking any need to adhere to dharma, so where’s the conflict, really?
What stings more is that this joker is treated not as a fool who makes ridiculous, expensive, perfectly choreographed dance videos which are nevertheless tacky, but as a filmmaker with a ‘sensibility’. And by Rangan too. But i’m confident he’ll see the light someday.
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P
April 8, 2016
@mainland:
“Isn’t it just plain selfishness/ self-indulgence and plain self-centeredness on her part to covet him at the cost of bringing him so much pain? How will she able to forgive herself for all the pain she bought about in his life and after all the initial fervor has died down, wouldn’t he, secretly at least, blame her for the mess she has created in his life?”
Why would you presume that Bajirao is the kind of half-assed man to place the blame of his life on the head of another? And if love isn’t selfish then what is it? What kind of love is created by thinking of the whole world? You fall in love with one person, you pursue and try to be with that person. That is the ideal of love. And if it be selfish, then so be it.
Bada beraham, khudgarz aur badtameez hota hai, par pyar to aise hi hota hai 🙂 (That’s what Leela’s bhabhi tells Ram Leela encouraging them to run away)
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mainland
April 9, 2016
Wonderful if that is how you saw it. And I read all your views up the thread and (there is lots of it) and nobody is objecting to anything u said. How boring if all of us read a movie the same way. You know it is possible people can have a different take on characters in movies .
But this is how I saw her as.
I saw her as this spoilt little princess throwing a tantrum at the disney store for that toy(Ranbir)….. especially when she didn’t have a change of heart after seeing the sheer mental trauma she put that guy through that kind of ended up killing him and also when she very coolly send her own child to a bunch of angry strangers coz she is this stubborn little girl who wanted what she wanted. I just don’t see myself doing it. That is all.
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mainland
April 9, 2016
“Why would you presume that Bajirao is the kind of half-assed man to place the blame of his life on the head of another?”
Maybe because some of us draw inspiration not from romance novels or bollywood movies (not that there is anything wrong with that) but from real life men like our dads or other family members and therefore has very high standard for masculine role models. Therefore I thought of Rao as a half-assed man who wouldn’t think twice before leaving his wife , mother, job, friends ,son and a lot of other things hanging while he takes a break having a fling ( I mean..pure, transcendental, esoteric love) with the young virginal princess, coz he is going through a premature midlife crisis. He is the kind of half assed man who would be left to crying and whimpering coz he was too weak not to let some PYT take over his life and control him.
But of course any argument or angle will be countered with …but it is love and anything goes in pure love and all that jazz. So I see that angle too.
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Aarti
April 21, 2016
Nice discussion! Loved comments by mainland and I totally agree.
Rao and Kashi look so happy together…romancing in bathroom, flirting like teens with each other…proud parents of a little boy, Kashi having cordial relations with mother-in-law and rao’s siblings.one big happy family with no tensions.
But Mastani enters Poona and ruins everything. She is obsessed with Rao and ultimately ends up destroying him. I didn’t feel anything sympathy for her instead I disliked the character. She came across as extremely selfish and negative.
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P
April 23, 2016
A beautiful interview with Siddarth and Garima who co-wrote Ram Leela and wrote three songs for Bajirao Mastani: http://bollyspice.com/117064/
Excerpt on my favorite song, Mohe Rang Do Laal:
“Mohe rang do laal means ‘colour me red’. This song in the film is the moment of Bajirao Mastani falling in love with one another. She refers to him by the name of Krishna (Nand ke laal) in the song because that’s the god she prays to. That’s the god associated with love, playfulness and devotion. Since you haven’t seen the song yet, we should not be telling you much about it. All that we can say is that it is sure to transport you into another era. It brings alive that moment in history when a Peshwa must have witnessed beauty in its truest form. The moment where a Mastani must have given her heart to a warrior, for the rest of her life. It’s the kind of song that lives on.
What inspired the beautiful poetry of this song?
For us, an emotion in its purest form evokes poetry. It could be love, hatred, fear, pride, joy, sadness or anything. The purity, the sanctity of this moment between the two lovers was inspiring. What she sings here is actually like a bhajan (hymn) addressed to the lord, bet she is actually addressing her lover. Its the epitome of her devotion to her love. How we ask the almighty for something, here she asks her lover to colour her red…red for romance, red for passion or red for reverence.
What was the picture you wanted to create with these words?
A beautiful girl almost pleading to her lover to make her fall in love… deep in love. The imagery we had in mind was that of a holi (festival) replete with colours, where a young girl meets her lover (possibly Krishna) and pleads with him to colour her. Even as a banter goes on between the two, she is falling more and more in love with him. The words we used are more in the playful zone – Marodi kalai mori. She imagines a situation where the lover would hold her hand by the wrist so hard that it would break her bangle. That he steals a moment to engulf her in an embrace.”
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P
April 23, 2016
Mainland: I just saw your comment. Its good to take inspiration from wherever you wish. But its also good to keep context in mind. Bajirao and Kashibai had a child-marriage. It was arranged without their consent because children are incapable of giving consent. They had their first child as teenagers (like many people in that generation did). For whatever its worth, his relationship with Mastani was the only one that he CONSENTED to as an adult.
Forget pure love and the beauty of it, since that obviously doesn’t matter to practical people like you. What you are condoning is child-marriage. But then I guess that’s ok as long as parents and family are not “hurt” and everything stays hunky dory amid a sea of lies.
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P
April 23, 2016
While we are at it, lets also condemn Raja Ram Mohan Roy for “hurting” his family by not letting his bhabhi commit Sati on his brother’s funeral pyre. Poor families. Oh their feelings. Lets not hurt them.
Every social change comes from rebellion. Without people like Peshwa Bajirao who fought for his love, there wouldn’t be the kind of seismic change today where people marry based on love rather than caste/creed/status.
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P
April 23, 2016
In era without the concept of divorce Bajirao “cheated” on his child bride just because he fell in love. Chee chee. Shame Shame.
He had a hot, flirtatious wife(and a kid he fathered at 13) his family was happy since he was fighting wars on their behalf since he was a teenager (winning 42 wars in just 20 years, meaning 2 wars per year at a time when they were fought on horseback in unhygienic conditions and took months to complete) and he left it all just for a fling with a spoilt princess who happened to love him as an adult, since she met him as an adult. How terrible.
Keep it in your pants man, Bajirao you half-assed weakling and stay away from that spoilt Disney princess who selfishly wants to love you- and who fights as good as any man.
Just stay happy and faithful to the child bride(A pretty doll chosen for her wealth and status by parents who want to sell you like a piece of farmland to the highest bidder). Since obviously parents know who you should fall in love with and who you should have sex with.
How dare you choose for yourself? How dare you decide your own future? How dare you rebel?
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Enass
April 23, 2016
P
Thank you for putting into words what I find tiring about the hurting family logic
Bajirao fought wars for land and family since he was 20, putting his life in danger for duty and loyalty year after year …war after war…and yet he was not allowed to love..truly love a soulmate..because god forbid that he has a personal choice of whom he should love and feel a deeper connection.
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MANK
April 23, 2016
Punee, abh bas bhi karo yaar . kabtak ladti phirogi apni mastani ke liye 🙂 tum to bajirao ka record bi thod dhogi ;P
BM is out on BLURAY. go get it. it looks fantastic .
One thing i noticed now when i watched it again- in all their scenes together between Kashi and Mastani, Kashi is always framed on the right or center while Mastani is always on the left.
It seems that even though SLB’s favorite is mastani, his sympathies does lie with Kashi. He does seem to go with the mainstream view- that she is the righteous wife who was wronged by the other women- going purely by cinematic technique at least.
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P
April 23, 2016
MANK: Fighting for the individual is something I can’t stop. Be it for Mastani or for any other woman/man who chooses to go against societal expectations.
Thanks for comparing me to Bajirao! Jesus. Don’t think I deserve that.
Of course SLB sympathises with Kashi. Everyone does. Even Bajirao. As do I. Her situation is sucky. No one asked her if she wanted to marry Bajirao- she was just told to do what they asked.
But that doesn’t mean just because divorce doesn’t exist (it was a British law/concept through which you can let go of a husband-wife relationship) Bajirao should forget his love and be stuck in a rut.
PS: Jealous that you have the Blu-Ray already. I am still making do with watching it in the theatre (the last one where it’s playing in Bombay). 10th time tomorrow 🙂
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mainland
April 25, 2016
Was I too harsh on cutie pie Rao? That was not the intention. Yes I think he is a weakling and I do not respect him. But I don’t hate him. He is such a large hearted bloke that he didn’t just sleep with Mastani but took responsibility for what he did and even put her up in a grand bungalow . It is impossible not to like him.
He is a great guy. No doubt about it. So it stings more when Mastani took advantage of his niceness and wreaked havoc in his life. My protective instincts were all fired up when Mastani came into his life and I knew that she is going to bring nothing but destruction with her and she is going to mess up his perfect life.
And as an aside ..There is something incredibly sexy about a one woman man. Someone already move the rock I am under and tell me that Hugh Jackman isn’t with his wife anymore or that he is having an affair on the sly , so I can get him off the pedestal that i have put him on to wash his feet and worship him.
Since all the other points have been made before, ad nauseum, I don’t want to go back and forth on it again…But this one is new..
“his family was happy since he was fighting wars on their behalf since he was a teenager”
I see this point bought up so many times. Since I do not know the details ….just asking..has it been documented anywhere that he has been fighting these wars under pressure or for someone else. Isn’t it every boys fantasy to get into the battlefield and fight a good war. He must have been guided into it at a young age by his mother or his family but obviously he loved it and was so good at it that he fought so many of them wars and won them.
Shouldn’t he be grateful that he had a single mom who cared enough to pay attention,discipline him, teach him skills that would benefit him and realize his full potential? Isn’t it great that his mom was not running around attending kitty parties or chasing other woman’s husbands and had time for her son and made sure that he was bought him up well.
Would you rather like it if his mom was like Mastani and gave him up at a tender age to strangers to suit her needs.
Isn’t it a testament to what good a mother she was that Rao and his conquests are still being talked about to this day? Isn’t that what love is? Rao was a better man coz of his mother.
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mainland
April 25, 2016
But I am not so sympathetic to Mastani..
Let us ignore all the other hearts and feelings and lives that she stepped on while chasing the dream guy……But It is difficult to imagine that a heart that cannot muster up any sort of sympathy for a child and can actually sacrifice him to her enemies, for her own selfish whims, can feel anything that remotely resembles love. That was the only point in the film where I teared up, when she very casually asked her adorable , lisping , scared son to go with a bunch of strange men coz mamma has other things to do, like sit and pine for her Rao . And I don’t even have any kids . But even I know that that is wrong on so many levels. It is difficult to think that such a cold heart can feel anything good for anyone.
To want an older, more mature,more experienced , self made, successful, rich , good looking, brown man with that swagger and a fit and sexy body who can rock a handlebar stache……Who among us haven’t had that fantasy? But do we all go and steal the first married guy available?…no …..We get one of our own…and then marry him.
She actually acted upon the fantasy and flew first class (I mean went on a palanquin carried by servants)to his place and made sure she got what she wanted . The guy didn’t even know she existed till she pursued him and offered herself on a platter. It is almost like entrapment.All her actions after that is not that of love but one of obsession and selfishness. Her “love” didn’t accomplish anything other that get her what she wanted and she made sure she destroyed everyone’s life involved and ended up confusing the heck out of Rao and killing him.
All this talk about him looking to find a soulmate or Mastani filling up the void in his life, where did all that come from? I certainly didn’t see that in this film. Was there any scene where Rao turned his face in disgust while Kashi cozied up to him? I remember seeing him initiate all their intimate moments. I remember him looking up to see Kashi’s reaction while the whole country was cheering his victory. I remember him looking and smiling at Kashi with loving indulgence while she went on chatting about this and that.Was there any scenes where he was looking disinterested or rolling up his eyes out of boredom , while Kashi was talking or spending time with him? Was there a single scene to suggest that Rao was not happy or satisfied with his life in anyway . Maybe there was and I missed it coz I watched it only 1 time and that too not with much interest.
All I saw was a man with perfect professional and family life . And then miss hoity toity came into the playroom and snatched the toy and threw it on the floor because she wants what she wants and nobody else gets to have it.
Now only if her Dad had given her some tough love when she was younger and disciplined her instead of spending so much time in battlefields or in his harem, maybe she wouldn’t have turned out to be the entitled girl who refuses to grow up and learn about boundaries.
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P
April 26, 2016
You bring up Hugh Jackman. Please remind me- did Hugh Jackman have a love marriage as an adult or was he coerced into a child marriage arranged by his parents?
Bajirao didn’t know she existed until she arrived in Pune? Really? Who entered Mastani’s quarters and asked to see her wound? Then cauterized it by force? And then gave her his knife saying “I have a heart”? If he really didn’t care for her, why did he go meet her, even after she came to Pune he could have ignored her.
Lol. Whatever. I am done here. Young lovers run away from Khap Panchayats and get hacked to pieces by parents for loving and marrying people by choice even today in this country. Good luck with condoning parental coercion and making it sound like fun.
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Madan
August 21, 2016
Finally, finally got around to watching this. Damn, never enjoyed a SLB film as much as this one, even if I did find the song where Bajirao himself dances rather awkward. There may be other such flaws but overall Bhansali’s narration of the saga is wonderfully poetic. His larger than life opulence is also entirely acceptable in the context of a historical and where the heavy tadka dialogues may have come across as overwrought in more low key settings, here it works beautifully. I thought DP was neither very good in the role nor as bad as some reviews suggested. She was a touch tentative and it showed; after the build up I expected a more self-assured Mastani than the one DP played. It didn’t matter so much with PC playing Kashibai so well. Mainly it was about Ranveer Singh hitting this role out of the park and I agree with you that I too can’t think of anybody else today who could have played it. He’s able to be sufficiently brutish (like a warrior should be) without being completely wooden (like an Arjun Rampal). I’ve never liked Will Smith as an actor very much but I thought Pursuit of Happyness made all the other films worth it. Likewise, Bajirao Mastani makes the rest of SLB’s overwrought oeuvre worth it.
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Jai
July 11, 2022
I think I must have been hiding under a rock somewhere when this thread was blazingly active, coz for the life of me I can’t figure out how I missed this review and the comments section! 🙂 Had watched the film again over this weekend and out of curiosity, came by to see what BR’s take was and spent a very enjoyable afternoon poring over the engrossing discussion.
A question for Punee/P, if you are still active around these parts. While I truly admire your obvious involvement and love for this film, am really curious about the source/basis for several of your takes in your comments here. I mean, normally while discussing a movie which is historical fiction, one can either stick to known facts of history and discuss from the standpoint, OR the discussion starts off from the sequences depicted in the film- which in many (most?) cases extrapolates and adds on to historical fact to portray something quite different.
But in many of your comments here, you seem to state interpretations as facts which are neither based on the film, nor on actual historical events. Am just curious on what you base your analysis – very strongly held and black-and-white, at that. 🙂
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Madan
July 11, 2022
Jai : P/Punee hasn’t posted here in ages. Got into some acrimonious arguments on some other threads and stopped coming.
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Jai
July 11, 2022
@ Madan – Oh, I see…..Thanks. Was just curious to know the rationale behind some of her takes.
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