'Ranveer Singh Told Me Dhurandhar Was More Challenging Than Padmaavat': Actor's Business Partner

Actor Ranveer Singh is being widely praised for his performance in the Dhurandhar franchise, with the film emerging as a significant milestone in his career. 

What's Happening

• According to his business associate Nikunj Biyani, the actor himself believes this role has surpassed even his intense portrayal of Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat in terms of difficulty.
• In an interaction with Men's XP, Nikunj recalled a conversation with Ranveer about the demands of the role. 
• He said, "I saw Dhurandhar first day first show for both the movies, I loved the film. Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge, for me, was the best film of all time. I enjoyed part one as well, but part 2 was something else. We were chatting with him once, and we asked him if he would do something that would be as demanding as Khilji, and he said, 'This character has been way more challenging for me, as an artist; it has taken so much more out of me. I have had to go deep and give it 300 percent; it has been very demanding.'"
• In Dhurandhar, Ranveer takes on the roles of Hamza and Jaskirit Singh Rangi, characters that reportedly required deep emotional and physical preparation. 
• According to Nikunj, the effort involved went beyond what the actor experienced while preparing for Khilji.

Ranveer Singh On Playing Khilji

Ranveer had earlier opened up about the toll of playing Khilji, a character in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial. 

Speaking in 2019, he described isolating himself to fully immerse into the role. He said, "I took 21 days and locked myself up in my Goregaon house. I was completely isolated. 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,"

He also spoke about the emotional risks involved in the process, adding, "Stuff that I have buried in my conscience, that 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."

Looking back at his decision to take on Padmaavat, Ranveer had explained his motivation, saying, "When I was offered Padmaavat, most people thought that a hero should not play the anti-hero. But I believed otherwise. I saw Khilji as a challenge for me, as an actor. And I wanted to take the challenge up. I went with the vision of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and my instinct of what I could achieve with Khilji."

He had also acknowledged the risks associated with such roles, stating, "I took a big risk with this character, and it's wonderful to see my gamble pay off. This kind of validation gives one the confidence to take bigger and bigger risks, challenge stereotypes, and continue to push the envelope in the realm of mainstream Hindi cinema. I feel very happy and very fulfilled today."