Kangana says Bhansali had narrated Padmaavat to her

In what may well be called the revelation of revelations, Kangana Ranaut said that she had a “brief meeting” with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for his 2018 historical drama Padmaavat that starred Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor in the lead roles.

In a recent interview with Mid-Day, the curly-haired actress asserted that Bhansali had narrated her the script of Padmaavat but the conversation “did not go anywhere.” She said that before Padmaavat, she was offered to do the song Ram Chahe Leela from the director’s 2013 film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela that eventually featured Priyanka Chopra.

The tabloid has quoted Kangana saying, “There was this conversation, and I was doing Manikarnika then, so it didn’t go anywhere. But we had a brief narration. Before that as well, he wanted me to do the Ram-Leela song. He is a filmmaker who can leave strong impressions on you, especially if you are a fresh mind.”

Talking about how Bhansali’s cinema influenced her deeply as a child, she said, “I was 13 or 14 when they [friends at Chandigarh hostel] took us to watch Devdas. It is based on literature that I was not exposed to. Along with direction, for the first time, the artiste, thinker, or someone who loves to contemplate, had been seriously seduced.”

“So the ethos of two extremely strong-headed people [in Devdas] and their egos, meant much more. At that age, I could identify with it. I would cry, and think about life. And, of course, those amazing, grand visuals, and the way he depicted them was poetic, something I’d never seen before,” the actress added.

On the film front, Kangana was last seen in this year’s Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi that was based on Rani Lakshmibai’s struggle for Indian independence from the British rule. The film, jointly directed by Krish and Kangana, was a decent box-office success.

Kangana is now gearing up to star in a biopic of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the late Jayalalithaa. She will also be seen in films Mental Hai Kya and Panga, both of which are slated to release in May 2019 and January 2020, respectively.