Panipat is an entertaining film and also turns out to be quite an enlightening experience. Many are unfortunately not aware of the rich history of the Marathas, post-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This film throws light on this aspect and also celebrates their bravery and culture beautifully. A few scenes are exceptional, especially in the second half and keeps viewers hooked. The film ends on an excellent note. On the flipside, the film is too long (173 minutes) and moreover, some scenes in the first half are dull and not that interesting. The romantic portion is cute but nothing new. A few developments are unconvincing, especially the betrayal bit. This is disappointing since the tagline of the film reads ‘The Great Betrayal’! Music is a huge letdown and its shocking how such unexciting songs got approved. As for performances, Arjun Kapoor gives his 100% and does very well in action scenes. He looks like a ferocious warrior who can spread fear among the enemies. In a few scenes however, he looks a bit off but overall, it’s a good effort. Sanjay Dutt tries his best to be menacing but we have seen better performances in this league. Kriti Sanon, in fact, does much better and her action scene is too good. Sahil Salathia is an actor to watch out for. Mohnish Bahl is dependable while Zeenat Aman’s cameo adds a lot to the film. Nawab Shah is endearing in the Katappa-kind-of-a-role. Other actors who do well are Mantra, Abhishek Nigam (Vishwas Rao), Kunal R Kapoor, Padmini Kolhapure, S M Zaheer and Suhasini Mulay. All in all, Panipat is a one-time watch and deserves to be seen for it’s beautiful depiction of Maratha Empire, battle scenes and the grandeur!
My rating – *** out of 5!