Sanjay Leela Bhansali 's historical period drama ' Bajirao Mastani ' has received rave reviews from the critics and, has been loved by the audience. The film starring Deepika Padukone , Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra is running strong at the box-office. In a recent media interaction, the eminent film maker praised Deepika for her performance in the film.

Bhansali stated that, "Mastani is someone what Madhubala and Meena Kumari did in their heydays. Deepika has never ever gone over the top. No woman has ever looked so beautiful on the Indian screen in the longest time. It's a dear character to me." He further stated that, "...deep down my favourite character is Mastani. I would take Deepika's performance till the last breath of my life. It's that dear to me."

While talking about his film's box-office collections, Bhansali said, "I just wanted to make a beautiful film, be honest and truthful towards something which I have lived for 12 years. It was my tribute to Mughal-e-Azam and that was all I was thinking of while making this film. I was not thinking of the box office collection...I am offering something that is different."