11 Things You Need To Know About The Real Kashibai
The love story of Peshwa Bajirao and Mastani caught the eye of director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to translate onto celluloid. But the character of Kashibai, who remained in the background, managed to walk away with all the praise, emerging as the real winner of the love saga. And if you are still drooling over the way Priyanka Chopra pulled off the high octane performance of Bajirao's first wife, the reason can be attributed to Kashibai not giving in to her husband's demands. She doesn't protest or sneer. She is angry but doesn't fight back. She teaches the most important lesson, that acceptance of injustice is sometimes the opposite of cowardice. And PeeCee conveys all these emotions with near-flawless comprehension of her character's inner world. Yes, she is at her best to date.
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But who was Kashibai in history? Was she the woman whose face lit up just at the sight of her husband? Or was she the one who refused to surrender to destiny? Some call her portrayal in the film fictionalised, while some say her persona was as unforgiving as projected in the film. We did some research, and here's who she really was.
1. Kashibai belonged to a village, 70 kilometers away from Pune.
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Chaskaman village in Maharashtra is the place where Kashibai, fondly called Laadubai, was born and brought up. Her family lived in a massive house. The 300-year-old fort-like haveli still stands strong in the village.
2. Kashibai was the daughter of Mahadji Krishna Joshi.
Her father originally belonged to Talsure village in Ratnagiri. He later shifted to Chaskaman. The descendants of Kashibai's brother still live in their heritage old massive house.
3. The haveli still has the room where Kashibai was born.
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The haveli in Chaskaman was built in the wada style and is spread across nearly two acres of land. It still has the delivery room where Kashibai was born. Today, the delivery room is used as a store room.
"The newborn and the mother stayed in the same room for four months to keep away from infection." - a daughter-in-law of the family.
4. The descendants of Kashibai claim that a moneylender helped in the alliance between her and Bajirao.
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The 11th generation descendant of Kashibai's brother, Krushnarao, says a wealthy owner of 300 acres of land, who was also the subedar of the Maratha empire, played a strong role in the wedding between Bajirao and Kashibai. They were married in 1711, when Bajirao was 11 years old, and Kashibai, only eight.
5. Kashibai's village still remains a favourite spot for tourists.
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With visitors pouring in to see Kashibai's parental home, every weekend is a busy one for the family. PK Ghanekar's book titled Sahali Ek Divasyachya Parisaraat Punyachya serves as a travel guide for the places one can visit in and around Pune, and it lists the house as a tourist spot.
6. Kashibai was the first wife of Bajirao I.
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Bajirao I was a highly influential and brave Maratha chief. He was an immensely successful military general who never saw defeat in more than 40 battles that he fought. He was also the Prime Minister of Shahuji Bhonsle, the fourth emperor of the Marathas. Bajirao was just 20 when he became a Peshwa.
7. Historians say Kashibai was a soft-spoken lady.
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Historian Pandurang Balkawade calls her a quiet woman and Bajirao treated her with love and respect. She even had a great rapport with her mother-in-law and sister-in-laws. She never had any malice against Mastani. Yes, we saw that in the film too!
"Kashibai was ready to accept Mastani but couldn't go against her mother-in-law Radhabai and brother-in-law Chimaji Appa. Besides, 18th century women did not have a say in important matters and Kashibai was no exception." - Pandurang Balkawade
8. Kashibai ran the daily affairs when her husband fought wars.
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She controlled the day-to-day running of the empire, due to her social nature. After the death of Mastani, she made sure that her son, Shamsher Bahadur got his initial weapon training at Shaniwarwada, and took care of his overall well-being.
9. Kashibai had three sons.
The first lady in the life of Bajirao I bore three sons. They were named Nana Saheb, Rahunath Rao and Janardhan Rao. Nana Saheb, also called as Balaji Baji Rao, was made the Peshwa by Shahu in 1740. Rahunath Rao became the Peshwa a few years later. The youngest son Janardhan Rao died very young.
10. After the death of Bajirao I, Kashibai immersed herself in religious activities.
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Over a kilometre away from Kashibai's parental home, the Someshwar Temple stands tall. This temple was built in 1749, on Kashibai's suggestion. Spread across an area of 1.5 acre, it has a tall structure called the 'Deepmala', on which 256 diyas can be placed at a time.
"In 1747, when Kashibai returned from a pilgrimage to Rameshwar, she suggested to her brother that a temple like the one in Rameshwar should be built in Chaskamaan also. The brother instantly began the work on Laadubai's suggestion." -Mahendra Peshwa, the ninth descendant of Bajirao Peshwa
11. Both Kashibai and Mastani attended the funeral of Bajirao.
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Bajirao I died in the year 1740 near Delhi. Both Mastani, the mother of Shamsher Bahadur, and Kashibai attended the last rites. Mastani either plunged into the pyre of her husband or consumed poison and succumbed to death following the Peshwa. Shamsher Bahadur, an orphaned child at the age of six was then fostered by Kashibai along with her own sons.
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While the film has already touched the audience with its story and performances, it wasn't an easy task for Sanjay Leela Bhansali to get his film to the big screens. While protests continued even on its release day, many descendants of Bajirao, Mastani and Kashibai are yet to watch the film. Some have a problem with the depiction of Bajirao's life, others say the love story is too fictionalised. They even feel the songs, 'Pinga' and 'Malhari', are not in sync with history.
"Back then, if a woman wanted to speak to a man, she would have to speak from the room itself, and not step out. It would not have been possible for Kashibai to dance the way her character does in the film."
While such historical films remain open for debate every time they hit the big screen, they succeed in opening some chapters of our history that have been covered in dust for centuries. That, in itself, is a step forward.