Priyanka Chopra is undergoing language training in a very specific dialect of Marathi spoken during the time of the ascension of the Peshwas, for her role in the upcoming Bajirao Mastani.
The ambitious Sanjay Leela Bhansali period drama is going for full-on authenticity and the director has instructed PC, who plays Peshwa Baji Rao I's first wife Kashibai to get the dialect and accent perfectly right.
Now, PC has played Marathi mulgi before (Kaminey and Agneepath come to mind), but this is going to be a whole different ballgame, swear sources. The actress has been training with a linguistic expert daily on the sets to work on her 17th century-specific lines in the film.
The language spoken during that period in history was far more nuanced and therefore more complicated than the standard Marathi known and spoken in the state today. Prior to shooting, PC even took a 15-day coaching course to prepeare herself for the role.
Ever the taskmaster, SLB was always on hand to correct the actress if she faltered.