MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh says he shares a relationship of mutual admiration with Deepika Padukone, who he says he is ‘blessed’ to have in his life.
Ranveer was at an event when he was asked about his relationship status with Deepika and about his marriage plans.
Dodging the question, Ranveer, who has never confirmed or denied a relationship with Deepika said, “It is a relationship of mutual admiration… I rate her very highly as an actor, and she doesn’t.”
“She says, ‘You’re just a ham’,” he quipped, adding that she is ‘awesome’ and that ‘there’s a lot to learn from her as an artist.’
He acknowledged that his Bajirao Mastani, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela and Padmaavat co-star has helped him become a “well-rounded human being” and that he is ‘blessed to have her in my life.’
Rumours are also adrift that the couple is set to tie the knot later this year.
Ranveer was also asked if his quirky and flamboyant persona is his real self?
He said it was in 2013 that something in him changed and he felt he didn’t need to try and fit in.
“I felt I should say what I feel like, dress the way I feel like. It’s less taxing,” he said, recounting how earlier he “was trying to be somebody I was not”.
Ranveer said his school friends don’t find his flamboyance over-the-top or made up because they have seen him so since the beginning.
“If you see the remarks in my report cards, they add up to things that he loves to entertain, he’s gregarious, vivacious and I was always pushing the style envelope even in the fourth standard.
“When the cable TV came in, I caught on the hip-hop style with MTV and copied Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg with the baggy jeans. I was ahead of the curve, and I have always been this way.”
Meanwhile, Ranveer is currently riding high on the success of his latest release Padmaavat which has earned over INR 30 billion at the box office.
The actor essayed Sultan Alauddin Khilji in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial, which also stars Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor in pivotal roles.
Ranveer said in a statement, “Padmaavat is a historic film for our country. I’m overwhelmed and extremely happy that the film has received this much love from audiences not just in India, but also the world over.
“It is a film that is and will always be extremely close to my heart and with it becoming my first ever INR30 billion film, the memory of Padmaavat will be that much more special.”
He thanked Bhansali for his vision, and for giving him a character like Khilji that “will forever glow in my body of work”.
“This success is for all of us to cherish and remember that as artistes, we need to stand by our vision, our craft,” said Ranveer of the movie, which was released on January 25 after much controversy.
