This Friday (December 18), we have both Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani hitting the screens.
Considering the great success that their pairing has made in their past two films together, ‘Om Shanti Om’ and ‘Chennai Express’, we never expected that Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone would ever compete for Box Office glory on the same day. However, this Friday (December 18), we have both – Shah Rukh’s ‘Dilwale’ and Deepika’s ‘Bajirao Mastani’ hitting screens. Since both films hail from different genres, it would be interesting to see what each one will bring to audiences this Christmas season.
SRK, Kajol’s ‘Dilwale’, directed by Rohit Shetty, has all the makings of a fun, fast-paced blockbuster with the right amount of intense romantic drama, song and dance. But, of course the hype surrounding the reunion of Bollywood’s favourite onscreen couple – Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol is very real. Audiences are eagerly waiting to see the duo create the magic that is responsible for many a teary smile and instilling a dreamy belief in true love. (Read: Why Dilwale, Bajirao Mastani can’t be called a clash?)
Shah Rukh Khan, who seems to be getting younger with each passing day, looks great in the trailers as he balances his mushy side along with the tough guy image in his role as a car mechanic.
Talking about his chemistry with Kajol, Shah Rukh Khan said in an interview to The Indian Express that they play regular characters in ordinary situations. “If you see our films, we stand for the most ordinary love. We have never been larger than life. I never do a break dance or fight to protect the girl,” said the actor. (Dilwale or Bajirao Mastani: Who will win the box office battle on Friday?)
The vibrant and beautiful Kajol is happy to return to cinema after her break since, ‘My Name is Khan’. “I loved doing Dilwale; I enjoyed every moment of its shoot in India and abroad. It could also be because I was shooting after a gap. That’s what happens when you work with breaks,” shared the actress during an interview.
While Rohit Shetty assures audiences with the tried and tested pair, he also offers a fresh younger romance – Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon. The trailer and songs so far give us glimpses of a rather sweet love between the two that goes wrong when Varun’s character is forced to make a choice.
Varun Dhawan, who has a good run with his past two releases – ‘Badlapur’ and ‘ABCD 2′, hopes to be lucky for the third time. “It is not about money or success in those terms always. Sometimes, even to be appreciated is important. People think the effort is less in popular commercial cinema but that’s not true. There were very difficult action scenes. I am standing on a monster truck and jump from there. I look happy doing it but it is not easy,” said Varun.
Meanwhile, one-film-old Kriti Sanon was well appreciated in ‘Heropanti’ and we hope the same stands for her in ‘Dilwale’.
The second release is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic historical drama, ‘Bajirao Mastani’, starring real life rumoured couple, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. The trailer was absolutely stunning in terms of cinematic appeal with a whole lot of colour and grandeur. Also starring Priyanka Chopra, the film is based on Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I and his two wives Mastani (Deepika) and Kashibai (Priyanka).
Audiences will get a front seat to Maratha history with epic battle scenes complete with sword fights and horses.
Ranveer Singh, who shaved off his head and grew an impressive handlebar moustache for his role, portrays a certain regal charm, while Deepika and Priyanka are beautiful and royal.
The Ranveer-Deepika pairing is something to look forward to especially after the duo scorched screens with their fiery passion in Bhansali’s ‘Ram-Leela’. Priyanka Chopra, who seems to be an international name now, is an exciting addition to the film. After playing Ranveer’s girlfriend in ‘Gunday’ and sister in ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, the actress will now play his wife.
It hasn’t been an easy past few weeks for the ‘Bajirao Mastani’ team who faced numerous protests and oppositions to various elements of the movie including the song ‘Pinga’, the costumes, and portrayal of the characters along with the representation of historical facts in the film.
However, Ranveer Singh was clear to state that the film is in no way a documentary. “We were very clear right from the very beginning what we were making. We are not making a documentary or a propaganda based film. This is a mainstream commercial film based on a book and Mr. Bhansali has been very open about it right from the beginning,” said the actor.
Deepika Padukone on her part disagreed with Shah Rukh Khan’s opinion that ‘Bajirao Mastani’ is ‘niche’ in genre. “We were very clear right from the very about it right from the beginning,” said the actress.
It isn’t fair to pit ‘Dilwale’ and ‘Bajirao Mastani’ against each other, but we do hope that both films do spectacularly well.