Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first directorial foray into the biopic genre is poised to cause quite the stir.
The full-length trailer for Bajirao Mastani promises all the opulence and and melodrama for which the director has come to be known. The film tells the story of Maratha general and Peshwa Bajirao Ballal Bhat (Ranvir Singh), but even with its Jodhaa Akbar-esque battle sequences, it is being marketed as any star-crossed Bollywood love story. Historically, Bajirao was first married to Kashibai (Priyanka Chopra), before taking his second wife Mastani (Deepika Padukone).
Singh and Padukone don’t have many scenes together for a trailer that boasts lines as intense as “Jo mehboob ko dekhe to khuda ko bhool jaaye, woh ishq” (“The love that makes one see a lover and forget their God”). What little screen time they share lacks the palpable chemistry and sexual tension of Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. Indeed, the trailer belongs to Chopra, who plays Kashibai first with a sweet innocence, and later with the chilling air of one who is unraveling and struggling to fight for everything she has.
Bhansali’s film is already under scrutiny for historical accuracy, particularly in an open letter from one of Peshwa Bajirao’s descendants Mohini Kakarey. Beyond critiques about sari draping and the physical demands of dance (we’re going to go with a little Bollywood liberty on that), Kakarey claims that Kashibai and Mastani only met once in their lifetime.
“Mastani was not a courtesan or dancer,” Karkarey adds, though there are conflicting origin stories about Mastani’s past. Karkarey may have surmised that Bhansali chose the courtesan story due to dance numbers like “Deewani Mastani” and “Pinga”. She goes on to say: “Bajirao was a great warrior second only to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. With this so called love story you have made a mockery of him. You have insulted the very essence of Maharashtrian families. This will definitely create a flawed image about such a great personality and his family.”
What Bhansali’s film portrays of both Bajirao, Mastani, and Kashibai remains to be seen. The film releases on Dec. 18.
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