I wanted to speak out, but was given strict instructions not to: Ranveer on threats against Deepika

Looking back at the protest against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, the most shocking aspects of it were the threats issued against the film’s lead actress Deepika Padukone and director Bhansali. Members of the fringe outfit, Shri Rajput Karni Sena, threatened to chop off her nose on national television. 

During the entire controversy, Ranveer Singh, who plays Alauddin Khilji in the film, remained silent. But now, the actor has finally opened up on how he felt when Padukone, his rumoured girlfriend, was threatened. 

While speaking to India Today, a news channel, the actor minced no words in admitting how angry he felt but said was forced to keep quiet. “I was filled with rage. There’s no doubt about that. I had a very strong urge to act out, to speak out, but I was given strict instructions not to. And I had to respect that, because I was not at the forefront of this fight,” he said. 

Singh explained why he had to obey the orders. “It’s the prerogative of the producers, of the director. If they were explicitly telling me that me saying something or doing something is going to complicate things further, I don't want to complicate their lives. I want to do my bit to make sure that this film gets made and it gets released. If this is what they are asking me to do, I have to abide by that,” he added. 

The controversy began with Bhansali being assaulted in Jaipur last January on the sets of the film. Singh spoke of the incident too. “It's extremely disturbing. When I saw that, I was filled with rage. How dare you do that to somebody who I worship? How dare you go to my place of worship and do what you did? All of these feelings were like a tornado inside me, and I actually had to be calmed down by people around me,” he said. 

According to the actor, the pent up rage eventually helped him in his performance, “I could choose to act out destructively, but I chose not to. I channelled it and I put all of it into my performance. Whatever you may feel after watching this performance is born out of having felt a certain way,” he said.