Actress Deepika Padukone, who powerfully essayed the role of Rani Padmavati in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Padmaavat said that she is “extremely happy and proud” that the film has earned Rs 56 crore (nearly $9 million) in India in three days.
In a recent tweet, she wrote, “I cannot even begin to express. It has never happened before…I cannot even begin to express how happy and proud this makes me feel!!! Thank You for all the love.”
it’s never happened before…I cannot even begin to express how happy & proud this makes me feel!!!Thank You for all the love??? https://t.co/VgRqRQEvPi
— Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) January 27, 2018
At a media meet Deepika gushed over the film and told the audience that her parents were extremely proud of her.
“My parents are immensely proud. I saw that pride on their face. They (parents) made a video call after their screening finished late at night when I was going to bed. They had just seen the film and then me, so, their expression was like, ‘Is she our daughter?’ I saw their expression and they were both brimming and glowing with pride,” Deepika said.
She further said, “My parents never once had asked me if they should come and live with me during that whole phase (when Deepika was given life threats) because they were confident about the fact that I can handle this. That is my spirit, that is how I have been brought up. We have learned that what is right is right, what is wrong is wrong.”
Speaking on her character and how it was to essay the role of a Rajasthani queen, Deepika said, “Playing the character fascinated me: about how her personality is very relevant at the present time. She is alot like me a strong, intelligent and elegant woman and when I played her on-screen, I saw a little bit of myself there. The character Padmavati is so strong and inspirational that it touches your heart.”
“Nonetheless, her character was so deep. She is a queen who doesn’t speak very much but conveys everything in her way. That was a challenge to play,” she said.
On her favourite scene from the film, Deepika said, “For me, one of the most iconic scenes is the fight between Khilji and Rawal. I have not seen an action sequence with two leading stars shot like that. It was raw, you could actually see that they were fighting, pushing each other. That whole sequence for me was one of the best cinematic experiences.”
The film, based on 16th-century poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s Padmaavat, also stars Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in titular roles.
The film opened to mixed reviews and full-houses, but one thing on which all the critics and audiences agreed on was the amazing performances by the lead cast.
Ranveer Singh spoke at length on how he prepared for his character and spent 21 days in isolation at one point. He further said that to play the role of an anti-hero in the film, was the biggest risk he took in his career.
Shahid Kapoor also echoed the same views and said that he only took on the film to work with Bhansali, despite many telling him that he should not go for the film. However, he said that his wife Mira Rajput strongly supported him and had it not been for her, he might have backed out.
In an interview, Shahid said, “I remember once I came back from the shoot and Mira asked me, ‘So how did it go?’ because I had filmed for nearly 15 hours that day. And I said to her that we didn’t do a single shot that day. She was very surprised and said, ‘But you look really happy.’ I told her, ‘Yes, we didn’t do a shot today, but we have worked towards doing a great shot tomorrow.’ She said, ‘Shahid, you haven’t looked so happy when you have come back from films where you’ve done a lot of work in one day. But you look really content now.’ And essentially that’s how it was. The entire journey and the process was very satisfying.”
Trade analyst Komal Nahta found the figures to be “stupendous considering that the film has not opened in 35 percent of India”.
“The film is destined to be a big hit. If normalcy returns soon in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the film can cross Rs 300 crore in India. If the film doesn’t release in the three or four states where it is banned, it will remain at Rs 240 crore or Rs 250 crore,” he added.
Earlier, Deepika had said that she is not someone who has ever been excited so much about box office numbers but “I have to say that this time I am. I think it’s going to be earth-shattering”.