Following the strife, Deepika Padukone is in the mood to celebrate. Since Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s most ambitious film ‘Padmaavat’ was released last week after months of protests and threats, the film’s leading lady, Deepika said the difficult times had been overtaken by the love of the audience.
“At this point, I am not thinking about the last three months. The last three days have been so overwhelming that nothing else matters. I am in a mood to celebrate. I am grateful for all the love and support,” Deepika said while interacting with the media at a popular Indian restaurant here last night.
‘Padmaavat’ has been facing the endless wrath of Karni Sena and other fringe groups ever since shoot began. Some of the states have banned the film due to prolong protests demanding to ban the film.
The film Padmaavat is based on the 16th-century epic ‘Padmavat’ by Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi. Karni Sena alleged that the film distorts history and undermines Rajput honour, which the filmmakers have strongly denied.
Deepika, who portrays the role of Rani Padmavati, claimed that ‘Padmaavat’ was a story that was several centuries old, it was as relevant today as ever.
“It looks at the power of women. Today again we are standing up for ourselves with dignity… I find her journey so relevant today,” Deepika said about her character in the film.
The film also stars Shahid Kapoor, who portrays the role of Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh, who plays Alauddin Khilji, however, it was Deepika who faced the wrath of the Rajput community who issued death threats to her. “When Rani has so much strength, why would she need others? In my personal life I fight my own battle, I don’t need anyone,” she added. The protesters even alleged that there was a dream sequence between the characters of Rani Padmavati and Khilji, which Bhansali had denied.
“We (Ranveer and I) don’t have even a moment together in this film. When I was shooting he was not there and vice versa. I was not aware what work he has done in the film,” she said. “Being a central protagonist as a female actor and with this kind of budget, I did feel a sense of responsibility so at times I used to go to the sets when I saw a little bit of what they were doing. Other than that, it seems as if we have shot two different films,” Deepika said.
Remembering the experience of shooting for the Jauhar sequence where women were ready to court death she said the last scene had stayed with her for quite some time. “The Jauhar speech was done in one take. I felt I would forget the lines. I did rehearsals for it. It was an intense moment on the sets. Everyone was quiet. They had kept three days for this but we did it in half a day,” she said.
While lyricist Javed Akhtar called ‘Padmaavat’ the ‘Mother India’ of her career, Deepika was overwhelmed. However, what delighted her more was that her parents admired her performance. “My parents have seen the film and they were proud of my work, but there was a sense of disbelief like they were thinking is she our daughter?”
“As I don’t stay with them, they don’t know much in detail about the role or the film. I want them to enjoy the film as a normal audience. They had no idea about ‘Padmaavat’ and the story. The last 15 minutes of the film for my parents were tough… they hate it when I die in films,” Deepika said.