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2015 has truly been Deepika Padukone's year. While she surprised the audiences with films like 'Piku', 'Tamasha' and 'Bajirao Mastani', another facet of her personality became public when she openly talked about her struggle with depression and took a stand on women empowerment in her own unique way. The actress meets the media with extreme warmth but at the same time, does not shy away from being honest, even if that requires her to be a little cold. Deepika Padukone has great clarity about what she is saying and how she is saying it. Over a quick conversation with us, she talks about her 'Bajirao Mastani' co-star Ranveer Singh, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and much more...
Ranveer has completed five years in the industry. What was the first impression you had of him when you saw 'Band Baaja Baaraat'? I hope you have seen the film...
I have seen all of his movies. Some I have liked, some I have not. But I was blown away. I am gonna be honest and say that when I saw the promos of the film first, I remember someone saying, 'Oh my God! He is the next superstar' and I remember thinking to myself, 'He is too much'. And then I watched the film and realized that he has such amazing screen presence. Someone like me sitting in the theatre actually believed that he was from Delhi. It is only later on when we met at some party, I asked him, 'Oh! So you moved to Bombay?' He said, 'I am a Bombay boy'. That's when it hit me that he had played a Delhi guy. It is amazing that he could do that in his very first film and till date, it is my favourite performance."
Your character, Mastani is madly in love with Bajirao. You said that she is a horse with blinkers. Don't you think that in today's world, a girl like her will be taken for granted?
I don't know. I don't think it will be right for me to generalize the male species and say that men will take such a woman for granted. It depends on each man's individual personality and every woman's individual personality. It would be wrong for me generalize men and say that men are like this or men like that, because they are not.
READ ALSO:
Deepika Padukone: Not a single false note in Ranveer Singh's performance
How is Sanjay Leela Bhansali different from all the directors you have worked with?
He is not a director, he is a magician, a poet. There is poetry and romance in everything he does. I have never met a man who is more consumed by cinema as much as he is. The only life he knows is cinema.
Does he still get angry on the sets?
Of course, he does and rightly so. I have done two films with him now and I know if he does get angry, it is completely justified. When you are making a film of this magnitude, he expects a certain level of quality of work. Sometimes, when you fall short of that or it has not been done or not been done in the way promised, he does get angry. We tend to exaggerate one aspect of someone's life. We don't talk about what a great sense of humour he has. I think we should not typecast people. There is much more to him than what is reported.
How appropriate is it to use so much of Urdu in a film based on the life of a Maratha ruler?
What I have tried to do is find a balance between Hindi and Urdu; more Hindi and less Urdu to make it universal. Had I broken into complete Urdu, a large part of the audience could have been alienated. Had Bajirao spoken only in Marathi, he would again be alienating a large part of the audience. Even if there are options within Urdu, we try and use simpler words.
As far as box-office collections are concerned, 'Tamasha' has failed to attract the audiences. What do you have to say on that? I really liked the film and wished that it had done better...
For me, right now sitting here, the very fact that you said you liked the film is a box-office success. I am not an actor who has ever been involved with numbers. I never have; I never intend to. So, for me, if you are sitting here now and telling me that you, as an audience, are disappointed that the film did not make numbers because you genuinely liked the film, I have done my job. What more does an actor want!
Ranveer has completed five years in the industry. What was the first impression you had of him when you saw 'Band Baaja Baaraat'? I hope you have seen the film...
I have seen all of his movies. Some I have liked, some I have not. But I was blown away. I am gonna be honest and say that when I saw the promos of the film first, I remember someone saying, 'Oh my God! He is the next superstar' and I remember thinking to myself, 'He is too much'. And then I watched the film and realized that he has such amazing screen presence. Someone like me sitting in the theatre actually believed that he was from Delhi. It is only later on when we met at some party, I asked him, 'Oh! So you moved to Bombay?' He said, 'I am a Bombay boy'. That's when it hit me that he had played a Delhi guy. It is amazing that he could do that in his very first film and till date, it is my favourite performance."
Your character, Mastani is madly in love with Bajirao. You said that she is a horse with blinkers. Don't you think that in today's world, a girl like her will be taken for granted?
I don't know. I don't think it will be right for me to generalize the male species and say that men will take such a woman for granted. It depends on each man's individual personality and every woman's individual personality. It would be wrong for me generalize men and say that men are like this or men like that, because they are not.
READ ALSO:
Deepika Padukone: Not a single false note in Ranveer Singh's performance
How is Sanjay Leela Bhansali different from all the directors you have worked with?
He is not a director, he is a magician, a poet. There is poetry and romance in everything he does. I have never met a man who is more consumed by cinema as much as he is. The only life he knows is cinema.
Does he still get angry on the sets?
Of course, he does and rightly so. I have done two films with him now and I know if he does get angry, it is completely justified. When you are making a film of this magnitude, he expects a certain level of quality of work. Sometimes, when you fall short of that or it has not been done or not been done in the way promised, he does get angry. We tend to exaggerate one aspect of someone's life. We don't talk about what a great sense of humour he has. I think we should not typecast people. There is much more to him than what is reported.
How appropriate is it to use so much of Urdu in a film based on the life of a Maratha ruler?
What I have tried to do is find a balance between Hindi and Urdu; more Hindi and less Urdu to make it universal. Had I broken into complete Urdu, a large part of the audience could have been alienated. Had Bajirao spoken only in Marathi, he would again be alienating a large part of the audience. Even if there are options within Urdu, we try and use simpler words.
As far as box-office collections are concerned, 'Tamasha' has failed to attract the audiences. What do you have to say on that? I really liked the film and wished that it had done better...
For me, right now sitting here, the very fact that you said you liked the film is a box-office success. I am not an actor who has ever been involved with numbers. I never have; I never intend to. So, for me, if you are sitting here now and telling me that you, as an audience, are disappointed that the film did not make numbers because you genuinely liked the film, I have done my job. What more does an actor want!
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