‘Padmaavat’ may be soaring heights at the box office and garnering profits of unprecedented levels, but like they say – every story has two sides, just like a coin. So does the story of ‘Padmaavat’ which on the other side, is dark and not so lovable. Critically and commercially acclaimed actress, Swara Bhaskar in an open letter to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, spoke about how his at the end of his Magnum Opus, she felt reduced to her vagina.
On 29th January, Deepika in an exclusive interview spoke about her take on the character she played. She says, “It looks at the power of women. Today again we are standing up for ourselves with dignity… I find her journey so relevant today,”
In the film, she and other Rajput woman perform ‘jauhar’ when the defeat of their kingdom is evident.
Deepika went on to talk about her overwhelmed state of mind, on the thundering success of ‘Padmaavat’. “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.”
‘Padmaavat’ highlights the fierce story of the Queen of Chittorgarh, who choses dignity over life.
In the same context, Deepika spoke about how she like the queen, believes in fighting her own battles. “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.”
About the rumors of a dream sequence between Padmavati & Khilji that caused not only chaos but nationwide protests she said,” “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. 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.”
She recalls how impactful and heavy the scene prior to the ‘jauhar’ scene was. “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.”
All responses kept on a backseat, the one that shines highest and brightest for Deepika, are the ones she got from her parents. “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.”
She was all soaked in gratitude and beaming with love when interviewed. The responses to the film are gratifying and fulfilling for her. “The amount of love, support is unprecedented and most important the blessings that I am getting. I feel what have I done to deserve this (love),” she said.
To explain how challenging the role of ‘Padmaavati’ was for the talented, young actress she spoke says, “This role of a queen had no crutches like she doesn’t have a sword, she doesn’t get on a horse and goes on battlefield — but there is sheer inner strength and resilience which I had to show through my eyes.”