'Deepika Padukone Had No Fear While Abusing During Ram-Leela Workshop,' Reveals Actor Jayati Bhatia

Deepika Padukone is known for fully immersing herself in her roles, and actor Jayati Bhatia has now shared an interesting memory from the workshops they did together before the filming of Ram-Leela. 

Jayati, who was brought in by Sanjay Leela Bhansali's team to help Deepika prepare for her character, recalled that the actor approached every exercise with complete dedication and even surprised her with her fearless attitude during one particular activity.

Recalling the experience, Jayati said, "When I started working with her, she did it with full commitment, full energy. I was told to work with her for seven days, for four hours each but after the fourth day, I told Bhansali, 'Sir, she has become a fearless actress after Cocktail. Cocktail is her breakthrough role. If I work with her for three more days, I will waste her time, and yours. Go for it. She will do whatever you tell her. She is mouldable, fearless; she wants to do something which will challenge her'."

Deepika's Workshop Exercise

Jayati also shared details of one exercise she created to help Deepika let go of any hesitation in front of the camera. The activity involved loudly hurling abuses from the balcony of Bhansali's office as though speaking to someone below.

Explaining the exercise, she said, "Bhansali's office has a balcony and there is a snack vendor downstairs. I told her that your exercise is to just abuse loudly standing in that balcony. Don't look down but act like you are addressing it to someone."

Jayati said the scene they had prepared ended at a particular abusive word, but Deepika went much further than expected.

"She opened the door and then she started abusing. I had finished the scene at a particular abusive word, but she went beyond that. She gave more to the scene, said more abusive words, the ones that I had never even heard. Whatever she had heard and she just went for it. And I said, 'Wow'," she recalled.

She added, "She did not feel hesitant that someone might watch her. She was already a star. People knew her. But she had no fear."

Deepika Expected A Different Character

Jayati also remembered her first conversation with Deepika before the workshops began. According to her, the actor believed she had been cast as a "sublime" character.

"I told Bhansali that she thinks you are giving her a sublime character. He said, 'She is in for a shock'. In Ram-Leela, her character was of an emotional, feisty girl."

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela is a 2013 romantic tragedy film starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone.