Panipat: A multifaceted film
Director Ashutosh Gowariker’s Panipat is not just a historical film, but a blend of many things that sets it apart. Based on the Third Battle of Panipat that took place on January 14, 1761, at Panipat, about 60 miles north of Delhi, Ashutosh has tried to bring in an element of freshness to this historical drama by incorporating the right cast, perfect music, grand costumes and realistic battle scenes.
The Shaniwar Wada fort and palace set in Pune was recreated by art director Nitin Desai earlier for Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Hence, Ashutosh and Nitin didn’t want it to look repetitive. They decided to recreate the magnificient palace at ND Studios in Mumbai. The entire palace was recreated bit by bit by Nitin after a lot of research keeping in mind Ashutosh’s vision.
Music director duo Ajay-Atul have given a typical Maharashtrian flavour to the film’s music. Chartbusters like Mard Maratha, Mann Mein Shiva and Sapna Hai Sach Hai have been penned by Javed Akhtar.
When it comes to casting, Ashutosh has a strong sense of bringing about the right cast. He has proved that with his films like Lagaan (2001) and Jodhaa Akbar (2008). This time, the director got actors Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon on board for the lead roles. The film also stars Mohnish Bahl, Padmini Kolhapure, Kunal Kapoor and Zeenat Aman.
Ashutosh made sure that he had the most celebrated designers to work on the film. Costume designer Neeta Lulla and makeup artiste Vikram Gaikwad were roped in for costumes and makeup.
The war scenes of Panipat had to be shot on a magnificient scale, and hence, Ashutosh got editor Steven Bernanrd and sound designer Stephen Gomes on board. It was worked upon by the Ashutosh Gowariker Productions Pvt. Ltd. VFX team.
For the roles of Sadashiv Rao and Parvati Bai, Ashutosh was certain that he wanted actors who had a distincttive personality, and that is the reason why Arjun and Kriti were chosen.
Ashutosh is known for his historical dramas and hence, the dialogues had to be on point. Dialogue writer Ashok Chakradhar made sure that the dialogues were befitting the Peshwa royals.
Ashutosh has made all his films with detailed research and references from historical books written by well known historians. For Panipat, Ashutosh referred to facts from writer TS Shejwalkar’s Panipat: 1761, and historian Pandurang Balkawade’s books.
Produced by Sunita Gowariker and Rohit Shelatkar’s company, Vision World, Panipat is a Reliance Entertainment Worldwide release. Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, the film releases today.