Ranveer Singh Underwent A Brutal Mental Ordeal & Went Into A Dark Abyss To Become 'Khilji'
While most of the actors in Bollywood are still trying to mark their identity in the industry, Ranveer Singh came, acted and conquered the tinsel town with his extraordinary performances. The actor has not just stunned us with his work but has also proved that there is no role that he can’t pull off.
Give him any character and he can effortlessly get into the skin of that role, proving how versatile he is. Every time his film hits the screens, people can’t help but go gaga over his work. And since the time he has joined the Sanjay Leela Bhansali bandwagon, he has only branched out more as an actor.
© Sanjay Leela Bhansali Production
When ‘Padmaavat’ was finally released, one thing we were absolutely sure was of Ranveer’s performance. Since the time we got a glimpse of him in the scorching trailer, we couldn’t help but get drawn towards his dark persona and aura.
It takes a lot for an actor to share the screen with two other contemporary actors like Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor and still make a villainous character stand out and become the talk of the town. While, we are strongly moved by the visual treat that Bhansali directed, it is Ranveer who deserves all the accolades for making this historic film an entertaining one.
Despite playing a negative character, Ranveer as Alauddin Khilji, is electric and magnificent. You can’t help but fall for him more than anyone in the film. In fact, don’t be surprised if you find yourself rooting for him by the end of the film.
Khilji’s maddening obsession for the beautiful Rani Padmavati was extreme and to get into the skin of the role was no easy job. Ranveer left no stone unturned for the same. Talking about the process he revealed, “I took 21 days and locked myself up in my Goregaon house. I was completely isolated.”
© Sanjay Leela Bhansali Production
Revealing more about how he got into the skin of Khilji, he said he went to a ‘dark place’ emotionally. Talking to Indian Express he said, “I kind of isolated myself, marinated into the character because I can’t relate to Alauddin 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.”
He gave the entire credit to Bhansali and his vision for his character. “He is as much a creator of this character as I am. All credit to him. His is the most amount of direction I have taken from across these three films (‘Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ramleela’, ‘Bajirao Mastani’, and ‘Padmaavat’). He just knew what he wanted to do with Alauddin Khilji and was having so much fun doing it.”
Giving more insight into his way of attaining perfection for his character, he said it can be a dangerous abyss. “I have had some life experiences that were quite dark. I can’t reveal too much because it is too personal but it is the stuff I have brushed under the carpet so to speak. Stuff that I have buried in my conscience, which I had to dig out in order to play this character. And it was not always pretty, which validates my apprehension. I knew how deep I had to go into this rabbit hole. I would have had to go into this dark, black space. This abyss that could be dangerous for me. And it was.”
Well, looking at Ranveer’s sheer persona and ferocious aura, one can just admire his dedication and applaud his work. The man truly deserves all the praise and veneration for his magnificent performance in ‘Padmaavat’.