11 years of Ram Leela: Sanjay Leela Bhansali in a throwback interview, “There’s so much innocence in Deepika Padukone’s expression of sexual curiosity”

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela completes 11 years today. Starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in the lead, the film was an intense love story. On its 11th anniversary, here’s looking back at Bhansali’s throwback interview where he spoke about the film in depth.Ram Leela was your first of your two masterpieces with Deepika?Deepika Padukone in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela was another experience altogether. She was outstanding. She came in to the project at a late stage. Deepika worked doubly hard to fit into her character. At times the spoken and body language of Leela were beyond Deepika’s grasp. She didn’t hesitate in walking and dancing that extra mile to get into the skin of her character.How do you compare her with your other favourite?She is as gorgeous and disciplined as Aishwarya (Rai Bachchan). Deepika has a very sharp mind. When she talks, she talks sense. Deepika was playing a character named after my mother. She is special in a way beyond anything anyone can expect from her. I just had to explain to Ranveer and she what I wanted.Was she game to do all the raunchy stuff?She had never played such an unabashed character. Once in a while, Deepika would get taken aback by her character’s uninhibited behaviour. But she would convey exactly what I wanted. There’s so much innocence in her expression of sexual curiosity. If I said to her that the lovers don’t talk anymore but kiss because there’s nothing more to be said, she knew exactly why dialogue was no longer required.She is very good with silences?She made the expression of love so effortless and magical. Deepika conveyed the feelings between the lovers so beautifully. I don’t think any other actress could’ve done what she has done. She has conveyed the purest form of love. She gave all of herself to the music, became a part of the sound and danced like a dream. There would be laughter, joy and music on the sets all the time.You have a knack of changing steps and dialogues. Did she get thrown off course?Of course, there were times when I’d suddenly change the steps and Deepika would be thrown completely, off course. I don’t like to rehearse too much for my song picturizations. How brilliantly she adapted to my style.What was it like shooting the garba number?Deepika got blisters and wounds on her feet during the Garba song. Still she’d say, ‘Let’s do one more take.’ When Priyanka Chopra shot her song she said, ‘Good we rehearsed for two days because when we shot the song we didn’t use a single step from the rehearsals’. What I really like about Deepika is her no-nonsense attitude towards her work. She doesn’t carry any baggage of social obligation to the set. She is cultured, cordial and warm... but only to the extent that she needs to be as a professional. There is no pretence of making long-lasting friendships on the sets. She is deeply committed to her work. And that’s it. I think doing Ram Leela has liberated her on screen. She learnt how to surrender herself in the dance and emotions.Where would you place Deepika among your great female protagonist Aishwarya, Rani (Mukerji) and Alia Bhatt?I am not answering that. I remember I gave her the film’s toughest sequence to perform first. She rose to the occasion. I’d change pages of dialogues at the last moment. She would complain only half-heartedly. And then quickly get down to the task of getting it right. I think Deepika has blossomed into one of our finest actresses. It would be interesting for me as a director to see where she goes next.Also Read: Children’s Day special: Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mukesh Khanna, Prosenjit Chatterjee name their favourite children’s film