Ranveer Singh, who is basking in praise for his portrayal of Alauddin Khilji's character in Padmaavat, has said that he locked himself up in his house for 21 days to prepare for the role.
“I took 21 days and locked myself up in my Goregaon house. I was completely isolated. I used that place as my workshop and that’s where I stayed for the duration of the film because our set was Filmcity. I kind of isolated myself, marinated into the character because I can’t relate to Alaudin Khilji, I can’t relate to that level of manipulativeness, greed and ambition. I had to tap into dark experiences but his world view is not something I can relate to also,” Singh told The Indian Express.
Singh added, “I had to do a lot of hard work to generate that conviction in me. I kept working on my physique, my voice and the gait. I built a sort of foundation that I took with myself to the set and once I was on set, I allowed Bhansali to free flow with my character. I just gave him the foundation.”
One of the intriguing things from the film is the bisexual angle to Khilji's character. Singh had no qualms in playing the part. Talking about it, Singh said, “It (bisexuality) definitely added to his menace. In the film, he is pitted against people with a very traditional moral compass and if you are the antagonist in their world, then it adds to your menace that the fact you are a complete antagonist, you have no boundaries, not even sexual. It really adds to that menace. The most dangerous people are the ones, who have nothing to lose. So, in that case, Alauddin Khilji presented a kind of shocking menace. I feel it (angle of bisexuality) added to the character,” said the actor.
Fringe group Rajput Karni Sena made it extremely difficult for Padmavaat to be released, as it went vandalising public property and created a fearful environment in Rajasthan and neighbouring states. Though angry, Singh chose to keep his emotions in check.
“Whatever happened definitely created a lot of angst in me but I chose not to act on it in a destructive manner. I chose to construct it. I chose to channelise that anger and fire into my performance. It has released and Padmaavat is there for everyone to experience,” Singh explained.
At the box office, the controversial film hit the mark with Rs18 crore nett on the first day (25 January), growing to Rs32 crore on Friday.