'Bajirao Mastani' is an exquisitely crafted epic

Controlled hysteria is what Sanjay Leela Bhansali whips up with panache in his first-ever historical epic, Bajirao Mastani. The director, with his sweeping narrative touches, blurs the line between fact and fiction in his quest for the grand dramatic moments. Bajirao Mastani has no dearth of sequences designed to dazzle the eye and move the heart. The pace of the film, especially in the first half, is somewhat sluggish. But thanks to the strong central performances by Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, the impressive sets and costumes, and the power of the visuals rustled up by cinematographer Sudeep Chatterjee, Bajirao Mastani is never less than watchable.