Trailer Watch: 'Bajirao Mastani'

Singh looks every bit the Maratha general

In case you’ve been trapped in another dimension, for the uninformed, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Bajirao Mastani is all set to clash with SRK-Kajol’s Dilwale come Christmas, and until now the general consensus was that Rohit Shetty's action romance was all on track to royally shit on Bhansali’s parade. But. And that’s a big BUT.

After the E-P-I-C trailer that was unveiled today, it seems that that may not be the case after all. It looks like Bhansali was all but biding his time, and now well the haters can go and take a hike because this film looks grander than you’d ever imagined.

Bajirao Mastani — essentially a period drama and a film long considered jinxed, recounts the doomed love story of Bajirao (Ranveer Singh), a noted Maratha general who served as a Peshwa (Prime Minister) to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati (Emperor), and his love story with Mastani (Deepika Padukone), the daughter of Maharaja Chhatrasal of Panna by a Muslim wife.

The story is said to be one incredibly close to Bhansali's heart, and he's tried to kick start for ten years but to no avail. Post Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, the film was all but confirmed with Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai, but after their real life story went bust, Kareena Kapoor sashayed into the titular part. At one point Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan were considered for the part of Bajirao too, but even then the film just refused to take off.

But now after a decade his labour of love is finally here with Ranveer, Deepika and Priyanka Chopra (essaying Bajirao’s jilted first wife Kashibai), and the set-up, the cinematography, the sledgehammer dialogues, the costumes and the performances all look like they'll be nothing short of dazzling.

In fact it's hands down one of the best trailers I’ve seen this year, with a number of things particularly standing out. The performances for one: Singh, Padukone and Chopra all look like they’ve gone to hell and back for roles that they’ll remember for a lifetime. Secondly, the costumes which look jaw-droppingly intricate be it the painstaking detail to Singh’s attire, or the majestic saris adorned by the two female leads, (credit Anju Modi), and thirdly, the grand look and sheer spectacle that Bhansali seems to have brought to celluloid.

Whether, the film manages to stand up to Dilwale, is open to debate, but with this trailer, Bajirao Mastani definitely looks like it’s back in the game, and all set to put up a fairly good fight if nothing else.

Are you #TeamDilwale or #TeamBajirao? And did you think the trailer knocked it out the park? Let us know, as always, in the comments below!