The movie doesn’t have a single shot of Rani Padmavati showing any sign of love or even empathy towards her adversary Allauddin Khilji.
As Ranveer’s Khilji tries to break down the Rani’s barriers she scoffs, mocks, sneers and darts red-hot hatred at him, Romancing the invader? No way.
In fact so intense is Deepika’s portrayal of animosity towards ‘Rascal’ Ranveer that the joke on the sets was no producer would dare to cast the two together as a couple again.
Deepika’s dancing in the ‘Ghoomar’ song is just a small part of her presence in Padmavati. Throughout she is shown to be more a warrior than an artiste.
Her battle scenes on top of a horse were all shot with Deepika. No double was used. She is all there, fighting in the battlefield with all ferocity.
There was apprehension that Shahid Kapoor who plays Deepika’s husband may not… match up to her, at least in his physical height.
But Shahid turned out to be as tall as Deepika. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief. Shahid and Deepika who play a husband and wife barely exchanged hellos on the sets while Deepika and Ranveer who barely exchange pleasantries on screen in Padmavati were on anything but on ‘hello’ terms in real life.
To keep the distance between Rani Padmavati and Allluddin Khilji which is part of their mutual presence in the film, Sanjay Leela Bhansali ordered Deepika and Ranveer to keep away from each other’s company.
There’s no gay angle to Ranveer’s character, as reported in a section of the press.
“Bad enough that Ranveer is playing the baddie.
When Bhansali devised Padmavati ten years ago he wanted to cast Aishwarya Rai as Padmavati and Salman as Khilji.
But Aishwarya was busy playing another Royal Queen in Jodha Akbar. And she had fallen out with Salman.
