Panipat team recreates Shaniwarwada in ND Studios in two months before Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt kick off shoot
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 13, 2018)

Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his historical drama Panipat stays true to its subject — the Third Battle of Panipat. Before the shoot of the Arjun Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt starrer kicked off on November 30, the production team was hard at work for two months as they recreated the iconic Shaniwar Wada at the ND Studios in Karjat (the images of which the producers refused to verify).

Under the guidance of art director Nitin Desai and historian Pandurang Balkawade, the team built the fort that served as the seat of the Peshwas in the 18th century, including that of Sadashiv Rao Bhau, played by Kapoor in the film. A source from the production team reveals, "We sourced pictures of that era from local museums and referred to several books. While the original fort is built with a substantial amount of teak and stone, we used lighter material for the framework and used limestone as the finishing material to give it the right look. We have kept Balkawade in the loop to make sure we are adhering to the architectural style of the era."

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani too depicted Shaniwar Wada in all its glory. But the source insists that the two stories are separated by two decades. "Bajirao Mastani was set in the late 1730s. Shaniwar Wada was newly built then. By the time the story moves to Sadashivrao Bhau, a few decades had passed. So we have lent a roughed up look to the structure."