Re: Bajirao Mastani Film Dialogue Free 13
Nelson Suggs
The reason I fell in love with this film is because of the poetic nature of its dialogue, which makes perfect sense considering the film is based on a fictionalised love story between the two historical figures. What still strikes me as incredibly profound to this day is how Bhansali paints the unconditional love story between Bajirao and Mastani. Despite being branded a mistress by his conservative family, his love for Mastani never once withered; if anything, it only strengthened. He fell in love with her knowing her religious background and took the risk anyway, following his heart instead of his pride. He devoted his short life to protecting her dignity and happiness, as well as ensuring their son would be raised as an equal to his other child.
On a day when fate and time stood witness
two star crossed lovers breathed their last.
They say witnessing a falling star
fulfils any wish,
but these two stars fell to earth
wishing only to belong to each other.
Conceived as early as the 1990s, Bhansali announced the film in 2003 but production was delayed several times due to its changing cast. A passion project for Bhansali, Bajirao Mastani spent over a decade in development hell before being revived in 2014. Extensive research was done before moving into pre-production, which required the creation of twenty-two highly detailed sets, and numerous costumes and props to strengthen its opulence and high production value. Principal photography took place on sets constructed in Film City, with some portions being filmed on location. Visual effects and CGI were used in post-production to enhance a number of scenes.
In 1720, the court of Maratha Chhatrapati Shahu needs a new Peshwa, the equivalent of a prime minister. Ambaji Pant Purandare nominates a young Bajirao. As a test, Bajirao is asked to split a peacock feather with an arrow. He succeeds and is given the Peshwa title. Ten years later, his wife Kashibai is visited by her widowed friend Bhanu, whose husband, accused of spying, was ordered to be executed by Bajirao. She predicts that just as she yearns for her husband, Kashibai will yearn for Bajirao.
While travelling to Sironja, an emissary from Bundelkhand requests Bajirao's help to fight invaders. She reveals herself to be Mastani, the daughter of the Hindu Rajput king Chhatrasal and his Persian Muslim concubine Ruhani Begum. Impressed by her skills as a warrior, Bajirao assists her with his army and defeats the invaders. Chhatrasal is overjoyed and insists Bajirao to spend Holi with them. Mastani and Bajirao fall in love during this time and he gives her his dagger, unaware that it is a symbol of marriage among the Rajputs. Back home in Pune, Kashibai greets Bajirao with a tour of their newly built Shaniwar Wada and the Aaina Mahal (Hall of Mirrors), which allows her to see him from her room.
Determined to pursue her love, Mastani arrives in Pune but is treated harshly by Bajirao's mother Radhabai and accommodated in the palace for dancers,[4] as Radhabai refuses to accept her as a daughter-in-law. Mastani tolerates this and adamantly expresses her desire to be with Bajirao; Bajirao chides in her persistence, reminding her he is already married and will never fully be hers; his court will also never respect her. Mastani agrees to these conditions so Bajirao declares her his second wife.
The Marathas prepare to attack Delhi, the capital of the Mughal Empire, but must first ensure the Nizam, the Muslim ruler of Hyderabad, will not attack them. Bajirao leaves to confront the Nizam, Qamar ud-Din Khan, and returns successful. Through her Aaina Mahal, a pregnant Kashibai sees Bajirao embracing Mastani, who is also expecting. Heartbroken, she leaves for her mother's home, and returns months later with her newborn son, who is named Raghunath. Mastani also gives birth to a son, named Krishna Rao. After the Brahmin priest refuses to conduct the Hindu naming ceremony on the grounds that Krishna Rao is illegitimate, Bajirao renames his son Shamsher Bahadur, deciding he will be raised Muslim. A few years later, Kashibai and Bajirao's eldest son Balaji Baji Rao, known as Nana Saheb, returns from Satara and expresses his hatred of Mastani for breaking his mother's marriage.
Kashibai is informed of a plan to murder Mastani and her son during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. She saves Mastani by relaying this to an unaware Bajirao, who promptly rescues them. To keep Mastani safe and grant her a royal home, Bajirao builds a palace for her. He later leaves for the battlefield to defeat Nasir Jung, the vengeful son of the Nizam. Before leaving, he meets Kashibai in deference to the tradition that the wife see her husband into battle. In tears, Kashibai explains that Bajirao broke her heart and took her pride in what he has done, and compares their love with that of Krishna and Rukmini. She asks him never to enter her chamber again, and a teary-eyed Bajirao accepts, apologising for hurting her.
Once Bajirao leaves, his mother and Nana Saheb imprison Mastani and her son. After Bajirao receives the news, he singlehandedly defeats Nasir Jung's army in his rage but is grievously injured. At Bajirao's deathbed, Kashibai sends a letter pleading with his mother to release Mastani so that he recovers. Nana Saheb burns the letter, though Mastani's son is set free. Bajirao, delirious from his illness, hallucinates and dies as Kashibai helplessly watches; at the same time, Mastani dies in captivity. The ill-fated lovers are united in death.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali had conceived the historical romance about Maratha Peshwa Bajirao and his second wife Mastani even before he had directed his first feature Khamoshi: The Musical in 1996.[6] Several other directors such as Muzaffar Ali, Manmohan Desai and Kamal Amrohi had tried to make a film about the two historical figures but they were never made.[7] Bhansali had intended to make Bajirao Mastani after the release of Devdas (2002) and had officially announced it in 2003, with filming scheduled to begin in May 2004.[8][9] The film, however, was shelved indefinitely. Reports about a possible revival had made headlines ever since; Bhansali had planned to revive it every other year but the project never came to fruition.[10] In an interview with The Telegraph, Bhansali spoke about his intention to make Bajirao Mastani after finishing every film he made in-between, saying "I kept trying to revive it over and over again, but if there is one thing that filmmaking has taught me, it's that every film has its own destiny. And I strongly believe that the souls of ... Bajirao, Mastani and Kashibai wanted us to make this film only now."[7] In the process, the film became a passion project for him.[7]
After spending eleven years in development hell, Bhansali revived the project in 2014; the film was reported to be an adaptation of the Marathi-language novel Rau (1976) by Nagnath S. Inamdar.[6] After the project was shelved, Bhansali said he struggled to put the film together and that he considered the project impossible to make. Nevertheless, he clung to his ambition to make the film someday, saying, "there is magic to it".[7] Some film industry professionals believed it would never be made, calling it "jinxed".[11] Bhansali always believed in the project, assuring himself the script was so powerful he had to make it one day.[11] He told The Telegraph, "Honestly, I want very few things in life ... so I know that I am resilient enough to get them all! Deep down, I kept asking for the universe to let me make this film. When you dream very genuinely, then I believe you also get the power to fulfill it. In pursuing Bajirao Mastani, I have been resilient and very focused. I have sacrificed a lot of things".[7]
Prakash R. Kapadia wrote the screenplay.[12] The makers acquired the rights of the novel and worked with historian Ninad Bedekar. Kapadia said writing the screenplay was a difficult task and a huge responsibility considering the historical context.[12] Kapadia and Bhansali had consistently worked on the script since its conception, refining several aspects of the film.[12] Considering the script was written twelve years before, several changes were made to it, such as the decreasing the length and increasing the pace to suit the modern audiences.[12] Although adapted from the novel, the romance between the film's protagonists has not been well documented in history books or archives and several versions of the story exist. Many cinematic liberties were taken to build drama and highlight incidents.[7]
Bhansali originally wanted to repeat his Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) pairing of Salman Khan with Aishwarya Rai for the eponymous roles, but could not cast them together after their highly publicised break-up.[13] Khan then tried to suggest his then-girlfriend Katrina Kaif for the role of Mastani but things did not materialise.[14] When the film was finally announced in 2003, Bhansali had cast Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the titular roles, with Rani Mukerji playing Baji Rao's first wife Kashibai.[8] However, the idea was scrapped when Khan and Kapoor signed other films together. Bhansali wanted to be the first director to showcase their pairing. Hence, the film was shelved and Bhansali went on to direct other films.[13]
Over the following 10 years, media speculation about the production and casting of Bajirao Mastani continued.[15] After the film was revived in 2014, reports of Ajay Devgn and Deepika Padukone being approached for the film made headlines in February.[16] Devgn dropped out of the film, however, due to differences with Bhansali about several terms of his contract, such as dates and remuneration.[17] Bhansali offered the role to Sushant Singh Rajput, but he had to turn down the role over scheduling issues.[18][19] The next month, it was reported that Ranveer Singh was in talks to play Bajirao.[20] The same month, reports suggested Priyanka Chopra was cast to play Kashibai, Bajirao's first wife.[21] In July 2014, it was officially confirmed that Singh, Padukone and Chopra were finalised to play the principal roles.[22]
7fc3f7cf58