Review: Dilwale vs Bajirao Mastani

Bollywood’s best movies have recently started releasing at the end/beginning of each year, leaving most people breathless with anticipation. This year, the two most awaited movies of 2015 decided to clash – Deepika Padukone starrer Bajirao Mastani and Shahrukh Khan starrer Dilwale. Expectant audiences were kept at the edge of their seats, trying to guess which movie would bring in more checks, with tabloids ripe with (incorrect) stories of relationships going sour between old friends due to the competition between both movies.

On 18 Dec 2015, Bollywood lovers flocked to their nearest cinema houses to experience the thrill of both/either movie(s). Word of advice from one Bollywood fanatic to another: don’t watch Bajirao Mastani before Dilwale. It’ll ruin everything!

Where Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his eye for detail and extremely elaborate sets, Rohit Shetty is known for his cars and over-the-top story lines. Where Bajirao Mastani showed a strong plot with larger than life characters in the form of Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, Dilwale lacked both, regardless of the hit on-screen couple of SRK and Kajol.

Maybe it was the fact that Kajol has previously made several comebacks with Shahrukh before disappearing into the ether, only to reappear onscreen opposite her age-old friend once again. The 41-year-old actress previously appeared, to great acclaim, in Karan Johar’s “My Name Is Khan”.

If you’re looking for a killer plot, brilliant acting and a love to make your world spin – Bajirao Mastani is the way to go. The strong female characters played by both Padukone and Chopra are perfectly matched with Singh’s charismatic on-screen performance.

This is one time when the critics are right! Unfortunately for Shetty and his team, Dilwale is a hodge-podge of humor, action and romance… with no plot to join the dots. While Varun Dhawan’s creepy-voice acting might have worked for Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, he simply manages to look desperate in Dilwale.  Kriti Sanon, who is only two movies old, does not act well at all. One wonders why she was chosen for the part in the first place. The only person who can act properly in the entire movie is Kajol. Even Shahrukh’s usual killer expressions don’t cut it this time.

Ranveer Singh is known for his crazy acting, but even he surprised audiences this time by completely embodying the persona and character of Peshwa Bajirao – so much so that he continued to sport the Peshwa signature mustache until after the movie was released. Deepika Padukone did the honors and removed his mustache for him, celebrating on social media in the perky fashion usual to the couple.

Perhaps Rohit Shetty and Team put too much faith in the “evergreen” SRK and Kajol couple. They even tried to cash in on the DDLJ storyline by celebrating it via a “anniversary promo” to attract audiences. During one of the promotion press conferences for Dilwale, Kajol was asked whether she agrees with the general buzz comparing Singh-Padukone’s onscreen pairing to her and SRK. Kajol naturally replied in the negative.

Seeing both movies one after another however, one must say, “Kajol, maybe you have to accept that a better (newer) couple has finally showed up on the block.” Regardless of Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone’s real life story, their reel life chemistry is as sizzling and spine chilling as ever.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is notorious in Bollywood for driving his actors/team over the wall in an effort to bring out the best they can give. Maybe that’s why Mahesh Butt calls him an “overestimated director” because he can never match Bhansali’s flawless execution.

Brilliant story-play by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and kudos to the actors for their dedication, which is clearly evident; especially since two of the main leads (Ranveer Singh and Tanvi Azmi ) shaved their heads off for their roles, preventing them from doing any other movies for the duration of the shooting – an extremely risky move in the film industry.

Dilwale might have started off with the bigger audience over the weekend, but super-fast word of mouth and positive reviews soon helped Bajirao Mastani catch speed.

All in all, Bajirao Mastani takes home the prize for best screen play, direction, acting and on-set art direction. One can always watch Dilwale online at home for free…. Bajirao Mastani is the one to watch in a cinema with your friends. This is one movie you don’t want to miss!