Producers- Ashutosh Gowarikar and Rohit Shelatkar

Director- Ashutosh Gowarikar

Star Cast- Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Sanjay Dutt, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure , Ravindra Mahajani, Gashmeer Mahajani, Zeenat Aman, Nawab Shah, Suhasini Mulay  and Sham Mashalkar

Genre- Historical

Rating- ***1/2

Brilliant!

Jyothi Venkatesh

This film of Ashutosh Gowarikar, like most of his other films has a very clear objective to top line the valor and battle skills of the Marathas, as they fought off the Afghan invaders, in order to save the entire country as a whole. It brings to light the era in 18th century India, when Shadashivrao Bhau (Arjun Kapoor), commander-in-chief of the Maratha army, leads his force in the Third Battle of Panipat as an able commander in his Cousin Nanasaheb Peshwa’s (Mohnish Bahl) army, against Ahmad Shah Abdali, (Sanjay Dutt) the king of Afghanistan. After a victorious battle against the Nizam of Udgir, Shadashivrao Bhau is chosen by the Maratha Peshwa to lead their army to Delhi.

Shadashivrao Bhau does not have any other choice but to take alomg with him and his army on this arduous thousand kilometer journey from Pune to Delhi also his wife, Parvati Bai (Kriti Sanon), his nephew and the Peshwa heir – Vishwasrao (Abhishek Nigam), his cousin, Shamsher Bahadur (Sahil Salathia) and his trusted aide, Ibrahim Khan Gardi (Nawab Khan), when his wife Parvati is adamant about jo8inuing her husband wherever he goes. Almost mid-way they come face to face with Ahmad Shah Abdali’s army, with only the raging waters of the Yamuna separating the armies.

Arjun Kapoor carries of his role as Sadashiv with aplomb speaking lines in chaste Marathi  on his way while Kriti Sanon gets into the skin of her role as Parvatibai matching Arjun eye for eye with credibility. Sanjay Dutt looks menacing as always but does not have a role worth speaking. Padmini Kolhapure as Nanasaheb Peshwa’s wife has nothing to do but grimace occasionally and make faces. Nawab Khan for a change renders an excellent portrayal.

Though Panipat has been mounted on a lavish scale and it comes through in almost every scene and the film also sets out to delve into a significant but not-much –known chapter in history and is a war drama that lauds the unshakeable bravery, courage and the strong principles of the Maratha, it’s inordinate length and lack of adequate editing, makes the viewers tedious as the film progresses slowly.

The film is the result of not only Ashutosh Gowarikar as the producer and director, but also the costume design (Neeta Lulla) and the sets and production designer Nitin Chandrakant Desai, who is spectacular and stand out. The songs by music director duo Ajay –Atul unfortunately do not add to the mood though they have been well choreographed. The cinematography by C.K. Muraleedharan, sound designing by Stephen Gomes and the visual effects also blend in seamlessly to give an authentic setting to this period film, which is brilliant ,making it several notches above any contemporary film.

For more Bollywood updates, follow Bollyy!

Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News,  Panipat, Movie Review, Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Sanjay Dutt, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure , Ravindra Mahajani, Gashmeer Mahajani, Zeenat Aman, Nawab Shah, Suhasini Mulay, Sham Mashalkar