Subhash K Jha (DNA; August 13, 2014)


His Devdas had the ladies (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Paro and Madhuri Dixit as Chandramukhi) indulging in dramatic dialogues and a dance off, while the two never meet in the Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s literary classic. SLB’s logic was simple. Audiences would feet cheated if the two didn’t share screen space.

Ditto with Bajirao Mastani, where Kashibai and Mastani, Peshwa Bajirao’s two lovers, will share screen space. SLB will give them a lot of confrontation sequences and a dramatic dance-off (like he did with Dola Re Dola in Devdas).

Says a source close to the project, “Though the film is named after Mastani (Deepika) the other woman in Bajirao’s life, Kashibai has an equally important role in SLB’s script.”

Interestingly, PC plays the less aggressive Kashibai. And while DP plays the title role, PC’s role has been rewritten to suit her stature as an actor. Adds the source, “Kashibai’s role was never a walk-on. Not even eight years ago when SLB planned to make the film with Kareena (as Mastani) and Rani Mukerji (as Kashibai).”

DP and PC will have equally strong roles as well in Bajirao Mastani, it is learnt. Time for some fireworks, wot say?