Deepika Padukone: “Sanjay Leela Bhansali excites me as an actor”

Deepika Padukone is stepping into her third real-life story with ‘Padmavati’. Talking about working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the third time, the actress reveals that he brings out the best in her.

” I believe he drives me as an actor to a place where nobody else has. He has broken me down as an actor. He challenges me as an actor. He excites me as an actor. The journey of discovery each day is fun. We discover something new about our relationship, about me as an actor, about him as a director. The journey of all three films has been so different. After Ram-Leela and Bajirao Mastani… our relationship evolved to such a point that we could do a film like Padmavati,” said the actress, in an interview with Filmfare.

Talking about the political row the film is currently embroiled in, Padukone said, “I wouldn’t say I’m upset or angry because these are strong words. Rather it’s disheartening. It’s not just about Padmavati. To repeatedly watch the Indian film industry being targeted, for everything that goes on in the country today, is not right. It has to stop somewhere. We’re responsible citizens of this country. We’re grown up, mature, intelligent and educated adults. No one is here to hurt anyone’s sentiments. We must be allowed that kind of freedom. In any field for that matter. We belong to this land as much as anyone else. So why are we constantly held responsible for everything political and otherwise that goes on here and have our films held on ransom? Really, it has to stop!”

Padukone will be sharing the screen with Shahid Kapoor for the first time in the film, which has been postponed until next year. Ranveer Singh will be going negative for the upcoming film.

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