Plot
Set
in
18th
century
India,
Ashutosh
Gowariker's
'Panipat'
begins
with
a
glimpse into
the
valour
of
Sadashivrao
Bhau
(Arjun
Kapoor),
commander-in-chief
of
the
Maratha
army
as
he
tactfully
defeats
the
Nizam
of
Udgir.
On
returning
to
Pune
after
the
victory,
Nana
Saheb
Peshwa
(Mohnish
Bahl)
showers
him
with
praises.
Meanwhile,
Peshwa's
wife
Gopikabai
(Padmini
Kolhapure)
begins
to
resent
Sadashivrao
as
she
sees
the
latter
as
a
threat
to
her
son
Vishwarao's
position
as
the
next
Peshwa.
Meanwhile,
Najib-Ud-Daula
(Mantra),
a
Rohilla
who
was
a
Mughal
serviceman
forms
an
alliance
with
Afghan
cheiftain
Ahmad
Shah
Abdali
(Sanjay
Dutt).
He
also
convinces
Shuja-ud-Daula,
the
Nawab
of
Oudh
to
join
Abdali's
forces
against
the
Marathas.
As the
Afghan
ruler sets
out
to
conquer
the
takht
of
Hindostan,
the
Maratha
Peshwa
chooses
Sadashiv
to
crush
Abdali's
lofty
ambitions.
What
follows
next
is
one
of
the
largest
and
gruesome
battles
of
the
18th
century.
Direction
Ashutosh
Gowariker's
grand
vision
of
translating
a
chapter
from
our
History
textbooks
into
a
cinematic
piece
is
commendable.
While
the
filmmaker
does
take
some
creative
liberties,
he
largely
sticks
to
the facts
presented
in TS
Shejwalkar's
book
'Panipat
1761'.
One
of
the
reasons
why
'Panipat' keeps
you
hooked
is
because
of
the
director's
depiction
of
the
complex
politics
behind
a
battle.
Before
throwing
us
into
the
bloodshed
battlefield,
Gowariker
shows
us
how
allies
jumped
sides
and
strategies
were
made
before
the
Third
Battle
of
Panipat.
On
the
flip
side,
the
makers
take
their
own
sweet
time
to
build
the
narrative.
Also,
too
much
detailing
in
the
first
half
of
the
film
could
be
a
little
difficult
for
the
audience
to
grasp.
Performances
While
Arjun
Kapoor's
sincere
efforts
to
portray
the
valiant
warrior
Sadashivrao
Bhau
is
visible
in
the
film,
the
actor
still
falls
short
of
giving
us
even
a
single
'wow'
moment.
Kriti
Sanon
is
the
most
impressive
among
the
lot as
the
navari-clad
Parvati
Bai.
The
actress
lits
up
the
screen
every
time
she
enters
a
scene.
Sanjay
Dutt's
larger-than-life
Ahmad
Shah
Abdali
lacks
the
volatility
and
fails
to
send
a
chill
down
the
spine.
Zeenat
Aman's
pale
cameo
is
disappointing.
The
rest
of
the
cast
including
Mohnish
Bahl,
Padmini
Kolhapure,
Milind
Gunhaji,
Sahil
Salathia,
Abhishek
Nigam
and
others
fare
okay
in
their
roles.
Technical
Aspects
CK
Muraleedharan's
cinematography
captures
the
lavish
scale
of
the
film.
However,
the
well-crafted
war
scenes
lack
a
novelty
factor.
Steven
Bernand's
editing
scissors
could
have
easily
snipped
out
some
minutes
from
the
film.
Music
Ajay-Atul
fail
to
create
magic
with
'Mard
Maratha'
and
'Mann
Mein
Shiva'.
On
the
other
hand,
'Sapna
Hai
Sach
Hai'
turns
out
to
be a
pleasant
surprise
with
Shreya
Ghosal's
soothing
voice.
Verdict
"Mor
ka
Takht
aur
yeh
Kohinoor
badi
mashakkat
se
paaya
jaata
hai...
chhinne
se
nahi
milta," thunders
Sanjay
Dutt's
Ahmad
Shah
Abdali
to
his
assailant
in
the
film.
While
Ashutosh
Gowariker's
historical
drama
may
not
shine
bright
as
the
kohinoor,
the
director
definitely
needs
a
pat
on
his
back
for
pulling
up
a
history
chapter
that
continues
to
remain
relevant
even
today.
Times
have
changed
but
the
world
we
exist
in,
is
still
fuelled
by
power,
greed
and
the
lust
to
have
more.
I
am
going
with
3
stars.