Pinga—Of पीर, and मांग

Pinga from Bajirao Mastani was released recently. The song features Kashibai (Priyanka Chopra) and Mastani (Deepika Padukone) shimmying to the beats of a traditional Marathi dance. In Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had self-referenced his earlier films, and it seems that in Bajirao Mastani, too, he is continuing that tradition. In his Devdas, Paro (Aishwarya Rai) and Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit), the two women who loved the same man, had danced together on Dola Re. In Bajirao Mastani's Pinga, it is the two wives of Bajirao who dance together. Comparisons with Dola Re are obvious, especially when the filmmakers themselves are promoting it be like that. While Dola Re remains an iconic song with some of the most gorgeous choreography, in my opinion, Pinga is a little subdued in its treatment by the level of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, but still grand as compared to others. 

Pinga is the song where Kashibai welcomes Mastani into her household. The song begins with the following lines and some typical hand gestures. I have not been able to find the full meaning of Pinga, but some have suggested that Pinga means Goddess Durga. The same lines have been sung in Marathi folk songs.

Inga ga pori, pinga ga pori 

Pinga ga pori pinga

(Starting 03:40)

Both Kashibai and Mastani are dressed in a traditional Marathi silk saree, with a traditional necklace, a khopa hairdo, and green bangles. The only difference between them seems to be the color of the saree. While Kashibai is wearing a purple one, Mastani is wearing a dark-red one. This contrast symbolizes the personalities of these two women. Kashibai is royal and regal. The color purple is symbolic of power, wisdom, leadership, respect, and wealth. It has been worn by emperors in the past. Even in the song Deewani Mastani, Kashibai is dressed in purple hues. On the other hand, Mastani, true to her name, is dressed in dark-red, as red is a color of passion and determination. At one point in the song, she sings, "Haan tu jaane yeh duniyadari, main to hu bas mohabbat ki maari." She does not care about worldly stuff, she is only immersed in her divine love. Pakeezah hasti hai teri, tu noorani hai. There is another moment in the song when Mastani sits in front of Kashibai, which reflects her lower stature as the second wife. This similitude in the costumes points that both of them love the same man. Both of them share the love for and by Bajirao, with changes in color underscoring the difference in their personalities. In fact, at one point, they even sing, "Jo peer meri hai so peer teri hai."  What I worship, you worship it, too. In Dola Re, Paro and Chandramukhi dressed almost identical with no difference even in the colors, which reflected the shared love for the same man. At one point in that song, Paro advises Chandramukhi to put sindur, and gestures a movement where she puts sindur in Chandramukhi's maang, and then puts it in her own head, pointing that they both love the same man, although they don't know it. Here, they sing, "Are dono ki maang laage, sooni aadhi, aadhi laal." (Sidenote: How a loser like Devdas get two gorgeous women to love him is beyond my comprehension) The major difference is that in Dola Re, there were two distinct voices of Paro (Shreya Ghoshal) and Chandramukhi (Kavita Krishnamurthy), while in Pinga, although there is Vaishali Made, most of the song is sung by Shreya Ghoshal, including parts of both Kashibai and Mastani. Vaishali's portion is minimal, as pointed by good friends (here, and here), and even that sounds like Shreya. Perhaps, it is a coincidence, or perhaps, it is intentional, wherein Shreya's voice is another indicator of their shared love. 

In addition to their costumes, I like that both of them have three roses on their heads. Pinga is about the acceptance of Mastani by Kashibai, who welcomes her in her life. Kashibai is surrounded by women, while Mastani is all alone when she walks in, and it is the song about embracing her in the family. 

There is also the signature Sanjay Leela Bhansali bird's-eye shot in Pinga. The song reminds me of Nagada Sang Dhol the most, not only because of the similar scenes from the top but also because the song is shot in the night and the use of lamps.

My favorite part of the song is the part where they sing about peer, and their maang is half empty, and half filled with vermilion. Jo peer meri hai so peer teri, are dono ki maang laage, sooni aadhi, aadhi laal. A wonderful composition.  

There is so much richness and diversity in our culture, and it is a shame that I don't know anything about it. And, I still can't get enough of the terrific Deewani Mastani which is simply stupendous. Eagerly waiting for Bajirao Mastani. 

Other Reading:
Thoughts on Bajirao Mastani (link)
Thoughts on the marvelous Deewani Mastani (link)
A fascinating paper on folk arts of Maharasthra (link)
Thoughts on the film's traiker (link)

Dialogue of the Day:
"Mere jiya mein utari,
Tune paini piya ki kataari,
Haan tu jaane ye duniyadaari,
Main tu hoon bas mohabbat ki maari."
—Pinga, Bajirao Mastani