Almost everyone who has been associated with Maharashtrian culture knows about Baji Rao I. The brave general and a statesman of the Maratha Empire during 1700s, has been an eminent part of the history of Maharashtra. He was one of the most celebrated Peshwas and known to win every battle. There have been many write-ups and shows on his life, especially his love story with Mastani. The recent and popular one is that of Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone-Priyanka Chopra starrer Bajirao Mastani, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. On Baji Rao 1's birth anniversary, here's going down the nostalgia lane on how Ranveer prepped for this gritty role. Rajneesh Duggal Trains Under Birju Maharaj for Bajirao Mastani Musical.

Ranveer Singh played the role of Bajirao while Priyanka Chopra played his wife Kashibai. Deepika Padukone was seen as Mastani. Bajirao's second wife Mastani and their son Shamsher Bahadur's story has been told in this movie. It was loved by the audience, and Ranveer once again proved his mettle as an actor. So, what went into going into the skin of the Peshwa?

The energetic star reportedly started out by reading some epic war dramas. He went ahead to understand the process of how the historic war dramas are made and for that he studied Kurosawa’s ‘Ran’ and the Russell Crowe starrer ‘Gladiator.' He also watched the acclaimed performances of stars like Robert De Niro and Daniel Day Lewis. To look perfect in the role, he also had to undergo intense physical training. He learnt Marathi language and the accent. He also learnt horse riding and went totally bald for the role. For that intact moustache, he used a special paintbrush, a strong gel and hair dryer!

Apart from these visible prep, he also worked on his emotions. He said in an interview that he tapped into the uncomfortable memories and release those emotions and also bring them on the screen whenever needed. He locked himself in the room to prep up for this intense role with only few people having access to him. The star spent long hours infront of the mirror mouthing the dialogues and fine tuning the expressions. Not just that, the actor reportedly had 3 hours of practice session before ultimately going infront of the camera. He was given only three weeks to get into the role by the filmmaker and he did create magic out of them! Bajirao Mastani definitely remains one of the most cherished performances of Ranveer, giving a beautiful ode to the courageous Peshwa.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2020 09:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).