Every filmmaker faces challenges —regardless of whether the film is big or small. One has to deal with people’s egos, technicians’ whims, film’s funding, and distribution and in my case you have to worry as a director and a producer.
Speaking of Bajirao’s challenges in particular, I had never shot a war film before, so I did not know how the economics of it all works. I didn’t know how to take such a huge team from Rajasthan to Jaipur and then Wai. We shot three wars in all and every time we did, I would wonder how I am going to go about the preparation because the scale involved was unheard of (in Indian cinema). Of course we had (stunt performer) Shyam Kaushal and his team working with us, helping us out through every dilemma.
After spending 12 years preparing for the film, we finished it in one year, including post-production work.
I had to do a lot of homework before starting on the film. I paid attention to every detail that went into making the sets as well. I would sit through the process of making the sets, go to Anju Modi’s store to find one piece of cloth or lace, go to some other place to find the right carpentry design etc. I had a particular set (Kashi’s room) painted multiple times till the shade was just right. The Aaina Mahal was small when it was first built, so I had it broken down to make it twice its size. I was told that it would send the production costs for a toss, but I told them that I couldn’t pass off a room as a mahal!
So it was a constant question — will I be able to give so much to the film, will the body give up, will the mind give up. But thankfully I was in an inspired state all along and I felt blessed for that. I felt like there were creative angels whispering all the time in my ear what to do and what not to do. They made me do things that I wouldn’t have done otherwise. There was magic all over. I truly feel that Bajirao Mastani was made with magical powers, the right timing, right energies and the right kundali. It was magical that all our kundalis met and led to some abstract form of filmmaking.
