Deepika Vs Madhuri

The music channels are full of the  “Deewani Mastani” song. It takes one back Madhuri Dixit’s so many kg ghagra kothawali dance in Devdas.  Pet obsession?

Chitpavan women would never be caught in public watching such a performance, as Priyanka Chopra is seen, with perhaps the most authentic expressions crossing her face as she looks on at the interplay between Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone.

Deepika, in  her pale gold avatar in a net outfit reminiscent of flamenco dancers, with many  co-dancers, seems to inhabit the same Madhuri  space.  She dances in a huge ornate space, more European than Peshwai in design.  

Peshwai architecture was noted for its long, perhaps narrow halls and tall distinctively fluted and carved wooden columns based on stone to prevent damp and  insect damage --- all topped with intricately carved wood ceilings and all polished black in color.  Noted examples are the Mastani resurrected palace at the world renowned Kelkar Museum in Pune and the Wada of Nana Fadnis at Wai.

Yes, the setting has a beauty of its own.    But the historical references?

Despite considerable ‘authenticity’assurances from the production company, Mastani is apparently being depicted as a dancing girl – from Persia!!   or Spain? It sticks to an old myth of  a courtesan, not Baji Rao's legally married second  wife. The marriage  is accepted by the present day Peshwa family and Kashibai’s descendants, after later day research brought out the facts of Mastani's origins.

Mastani was a kshtriya princess from Bundelkhand, a daughter of  one of the noted kings of his time and the chief proponent of the Pranami Panth.   Maharaj Chhatrasaal gave  her a dowry 5 lakhs lugda choli with 500 gold mohurs, plus a jagir of one third of his estate to Bajirao plus one third share in the mines of diamonds and emeralds at Panna.  

Such a handsome dowry for a dancing girl?   When all that he sent to Maharajswami Shahu as war reparations for Bajirao's rescue mission was a sum of 1.25 lakhs?   

Yes, Mastani used to dance … in her Krishna bhakti (hence the name Mastani.)  and for her husband Baji Rao. The only time she danced for the family was when she had performed at the Janmasthami that Kashibai organized in their apartments.  Baji Rao's secretary came in to get signatures, saw her dance and spoke about it, germinating that myth.   The other time  she directed the little girls of the family for a dance at Ganesh utsav.

At the Kelkar museum recreation of her palace chamber, a prominent display is that of her tanpura and her Bal Krishna. Would such a  devout princess stand up in public to sing main deewani mastani hogayi etc etc.   no dignity or class?

The book on which the film is purportedly based, was first written in the 1970s before any research had happened. The author went by the prevailing myths of the time.  Those dancing girl myths were created at the instance of Kashibai's grandson and Raghunath Rao's son, later known as Baji Rao II who lost the Peshwai to the British.  He was trying to ensure he got the Peshwai and not Mastani’s grandson, Ali Bahadur who was favored because he was the replica of Baji Rao I both physically but also administratively and emotionally and therefore popular.  Ali Bahadur was later sent off as the Nawab of Banda. In his absence all these stories were created and circulated and the Bakhars edited to remove Mastani by Krishna Sohni.