Bajirao Mastani (2015): watch the full film free, legally

A Peshwa, a princess and a court

Set in 1720, Bajirao Mastani begins after the death of Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, when the court of Maratha Chhatrapati Shahu must choose a successor. Ambaji Pant Purandare puts forward Vishwanath’s young son, Bajirao. After demonstrating his tactical intelligence in a court test, Bajirao is appointed Peshwa.

Ten years later, during a campaign in Sironj, Bajirao meets Mastani, a military envoy from Bundelkhand seeking help against invading forces. She is the warrior-princess daughter of the Hindu Rajput King Chhatrasal and his Persian Muslim consort, Ruhaani Bai. Impressed by her battlefield skill, Bajirao joins Bundelkhand’s defence. At the Holi celebrations that follow, the two fall in love. Before leaving, he gives her his personal dagger, unaware that Rajput tradition treats the gesture as a formal marriage proposal.

Back in Pune, Bajirao’s chief consort, Kashibai, welcomes him to the newly built Shaniwar Wada. Its Aina Mahal, or Hall of Mirrors, lets her see his chambers from her balcony. Mastani arrives to claim her place as Bajirao’s wife. Radhabai, Bajirao’s mother, and his brother Chimaji Appa object to Mastani’s Muslim lineage. Radhabai refuses her entry to the main palace and assigns her quarters reserved for courtesans. Mastani appeals to Shahu’s court for recognition. Bajirao warns her that his political duties and first marriage will bring social ostracization, but eventually accepts her as his second wife.

Love under pressure in Pune

Bajirao leaves to secure a non-aggression pact with the Nizam of Hyderabad, intended to protect the Maratha Confederacy. On his return, Kashibai and Mastani are both pregnant. Kashibai sees Bajirao embrace Mastani through the Aina Mahal, then goes to her hometown. She later returns with her newborn son, Raghunath Rao. Mastani gives birth to a son, Krishna Rao.

Orthodox Brahmin priests refuse to conduct a Hindu naming ceremony for Mastani’s child because of his Muslim mother. Bajirao declares that the boy will be raised as a Muslim, Shamsher Bahadur. Years later, he moves Mastani and Shamsher into a newly built wing of Shaniwar Wada. The decision angers Nana Saheb, Bajirao’s eldest son, who has returned from studies in Satara with resentment toward Mastani. During a festival, Kashibai discovers a conspiracy to assassinate Mastani and Shamsher. She warns Bajirao, who stops the attackers and moves Mastani to a separate palace for protection.

Bajirao is then called to fight a rebellion led by the Nizam’s son, Nasir Jung. Before marching into battle, he seeks Kashibai’s blessing, as military custom requires. She performs the ritual while telling him that his infidelity has broken her heart and destroyed her pride. After Bajirao leaves, Nana Saheb and Radhabai use his absence to place Mastani and Shamsher in solitary confinement.

Bhansali’s long-developed historical romance

Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed Bajirao Mastani, co-produced it with Eros International, and composed its soundtrack. The 2015 Indian Hindi-language epic historical romantic tragedy is based on Rau, Nagnath S. Inamdar’s 1976 Marathi-language novel. It centres on the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I, who lived from 1700 to 1740, and his second wife Mastani. Prakash R. Kapadia wrote the screenplay, and the makers worked with historian Ninad Bedekar.

Bhansali conceived the film before directing Khamoshi: The Musical in 1996. He announced it in 2003, with filming planned for May 2004 after Devdas, but the project was shelved and repeatedly considered for revival. It returned in 2014 after eleven years in development hell. Kapadia and Bhansali had worked on the script since its conception, later reducing its length and increasing its pace. The romance was not well documented in history books or archives, and the filmmakers took cinematic liberties to build drama and highlight incidents.

Ranveer Singh plays Bajirao, Deepika Padukone plays Mastani and Priyanka Chopra plays Kashibai. Tanvi Azmi plays Radhabai, Vaibhav Tatwawaadi plays Chimaji Appa, and Mahesh Manjrekar plays Chhatrapati Shahu. Singh and Padukone trained in sword-fighting, horse-riding and Kalaripayattu. Singh learned Marathi and shaved his head, while Padukone took Kathak lessons. Chopra received 15 days of training in the Peshwai Marathi dialect, and Azmi shaved her head for the role.

The production created twenty-two detailed sets. Principal photography largely took place on sets built in Film City, with some portions filmed on location. Visual effects and CGI enhanced scenes in post-production. Released on 18 December 2015, the film won seven National Film Awards, including Best Direction for Bhansali and Best Supporting Actress for Azmi. It grossed over ₹356.2 crore against a budget of ₹145 crore.

Film details from the Wikipedia article “Bajirao Mastani”. Text adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0.