After the roaring and raging success of Bajirao Mastani, Ranveer Singh’s latest release Befikre received a lukewarm response from audiences as well as critics. This has not dampened the spirit and enthusiasm of this actor with crazy eccentricity and bouncing-off-the-walls energy.
Ranveer, who has portrayed a variety of characters in his relatively short career span, is all set to start working on his role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s magnum opus period drama, Padmavati. He will be seen as Alauddin Khilji, the medieval-era Muslim Delhi ruler, who fell in love with queen Padmavati, played by Deepika Padukone. This movie also sees Shahid Kapoor as Raja Ratan Singh, the Rajput ruler and husband of Padmavati.
While the shooting schedule of Aditya Chopra’s Befikre was merely 50 days, Ranveer took 21 days to just prep for Padmavati and for getting into the skin of his character. “This time (for Padmavati) I didn’t have a hotel room but had the whole apartment to myself. I actually had more time for this character than I had for Bajirao. For Bajirao, I had around 18 days, this time I had around 21.” Ranveer told a leading daily in an interview.
From the carefree stand-up comedian in Befikre to a medieval ruler in Padmavati, the transition is surely a challenging one. “It’s very difficult. It’s physically, emotionally, mentally very draining. It’s my biggest challenge yet as an actor. I prepared very hard for it, almost a month. We have started shooting and Bhansali is pretty happy with the way things have shaped up.” Ranveer told in the same interview.
For Ranveer, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and he wishes to give his heart and soul to it. “I am excited to get back into it after the Christmas break. It’s something I am still grappling with, still exploring, and still discovering the character. I am at a very nascent stage of discovering this layered character. It’s a part of a lifetime and I hope I can do justice to it.”
The film is slated to release on November 17, 2017.
