Excerpts about Padmvati from Deepika's interview :
https://www.easterneye.eu/queen-of-hearts/
How does it feel like being the muse of a great filmmaker like Sanjay Leela Bhansali?
Well, considering 10 years ago when I made my debut (with Om Shanti Om) and his film (Saawariya ) came out on the same day, I never thought I would ever become a Sanjay Leela Bhansali heroine. Today, when we have worked on three films consecutively, it feels amazing and surreal at the same time.
How has your relationship evolved with the filmmaker over the three films?
It has evolved to a point where we don't even need to say much to each other. From Ram Leela to now with Padmavati, he has given me such strong female characters. In some ways they are so similar to each other, but in so many ways they are so very different. He has brought out the best in me as an actor. He has nourished and enriched me as a human being. I think our relationship today is full of trust, honesty and there is a lot of comfort that we share.
How does Padmavati compare to the previous films you have done together. They were huge and this seems as if it's a lot bigger?
It's so weird, Asjad. It's bigger than the other two films but it has also been a much easier process for us. I feel like we needed to go through Ram Leela and Bajirao Mastanifor us to nurture our relationship to a point where we trust each other blindly on this film. So while in terms of effort, scale and things like that, Padmavati does look much larger, but when you break it down to the actor-director relationship, this has been the easiest.
How did you go about constructing a character like Rani Padmavati, who is from so far back in history and we don't know that much about?
Well, we definitely had research material. We also had an actor and director working together closely. That is where the actor steps in and you sort of create a character. Sometimes you have material to fall back on and other times you do have to create it from scratch. That is the most exciting part of creating characters. You read it on paper and then you bring them to life. That is the most fascinating part.
Everyone has been talking about the immense chemistry you have with Shahid Kapoor in your scenes; what was it like working with him?
We have known each other for so many years but never worked together, and a lot of our fans always ask when is it going to happen. I think there is a time and place for everything and Padmavati was meant to be. I couldn't have asked for a better film for the two of us to come together in.
When you are acting in an epic like Padmavati , do you think about the sky-high expectations artistically and commercially?
(Smiles) Erm, yes and no! While we are filming, we don't burden ourselves with the high expectations. I think now the film is complete, we are just excited. We are feeling confident but also keen and eager to show this film to people because we have made it with so much love, passion and enthusiasm. We hope the audience like it and I know they will. We are all getting this feeling of love already before its release. I can feel Padmavati is heading towards being something really special.
Anupamaa
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