#FinalVerdict

Everything about Panipat is colossal - the scale on which it has been mounted, the passion which director Ashutosh Gowariker has poured into every frame, the startling beauty of its leads and the daunting run time of almost 3 hours.

Director Ashutosh Gowariker was determined to make a film on the lives of Sadashivrao Bhau, Parvati Bai and Ahmad Shah Abdali for quite some time. He waited for the opportune time to commence Panipat and the outcome is not just body beautiful, but there's soul as well.

Panipat is director Ashutosh Gowariker's most ambitious project to date. It requires firm belief in the subject, prowess, courage, aptitude, patience, passion, knowledge and budget to attempt a movie like this to satiate the appetite of millions of moviegoers. He is not a timid director. He finds no satisfaction in creating the generic instantly disposable Hindi film. He dreams big and goes where other filmmakers fear to tread. He recreates the bygone era in Panipat convincingly, besides extensive detailing.

To suit the tastes of the present-day spectators and make Panipat more palatable, Ashutosh Gowariker successfully makes the characters come alive to the present-day generation. What comes across on screen is enthralling, truly informative and exceptionally inspiring.

Ashutosh Gowariker and his team of writers introduce the on-screen characters & the sequence of events with utmost simplicity so that the spectator is able to get the grip of the goings-on with ease. Also, the dialogue (Ashok Chakradhar) is easy to decipher.

The love story, the conflict, the dramatic altercations, the battle sequences and of course, the ostentatious setting... Panipat is an enthralling period film, made with a genuinely honest effort, that deserves applause and encouragement from cineastes. Kudos!

Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon have enough electricity to light up the vast sets & eye-filling production design that Nitin Chandrakant Desai has so painstakingly created in Panipat. The battle sequences (Abbas Ali Moghul) are awe-inspiring & have been executed with magnificence.

When you think of the gigantic scale of Panipat, clearly, director Ashutosh Gowariker has left no stone unturned in depicting an epic tale that does absolute justice to the event. The apparel (Neeta Lulla), as well as the styling of the characters, is truly majestic.

Ajay-Atul's music and background score seamlessly weave in the narration. The songs are mesmeric and well-choreographed. Panipat is gorgeously lensed, with cinematographer (Muraleedharan C.K.) capturing the colours, setting and emotions meticulously.

Lengthy run time (2.54 hours) and lethargic pacing are two major hiccups of Panipat, besides patchy first half with so many characters the film touches upon. The editor (Steven Bernard) could've easily trimmed a few plot points to make the goings-on crisper.

Panipat also works because of Rohan Mapuskar's perfect casting. Arjun Kapoor embodies the great emperor without ever becoming theatrical. The rebelliousness & boisterousness are depicted to perfection. Watch out for him in the final goosebumps-inducing war sequence.

Kriti Sanon looks more beautiful in Panipat than she has in any of her recent films. Her eyes flash fire. A flawless performance indeed! Sanjay Dutt's towering presence adds a lot of weight to his character. He could just become the new face of menace.

Panipat has a host of characters, but the ones you carry home, besides Arjun and Sanjay Dutt, are Mohnish Bahl (excellent), Padmini Kolhapure (fantastic), Sahil Salathia (electrifying), Mantra (perfect), Zeenat Aman (graceful) and Suhasini Mulay (effective).

Final words: Fit Panipat into your agenda of films to watch this weekend. Witness the unshakeable bravery, courage and the strong principles of the Marathas that will leave you spellbound, enthralled, entranced and awestruck. Very strongly recommended!