Sanjay Leela Bhansali wants Deepika Padukone starrer 'Padmavati' to be ready by May next year. Here's why...
Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; August 8, 2016)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama, 'Padmavati', is set to go on floors next month and while the filmmaker is known to take his own sweet time to complete his projects, he has already set a deadline for wrapping up his next. He wants the Deepika Padukone-starrer to be ready before May to be able to showcase it at Festival De Cannes. The 70th anniversary edition of the film fiesta is scheduled to be held from May 17 to 28, 2017.

A source says, “After finalising the cast, Bhansali has been meeting the actors to discuss their characters in detail and monitor their prep. The work on music and other departments had begun long ago. His target is to wrap up the film as soon as possible and screen it at Cannes.”

While Deepika has been signed to play the title role, Ranveer Singh will be seen as Alauddin Khilji, who tries to capture the beautiful Mewar queen. Reports suggest Shahid Kapoor will play Deepika’s on-screen husband, king Rawal Ratan Singh.

In 2003, Bhansali attended the Cannes festival for Devdas, along with his lead pair, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

A source says, “Padmavati has managed to create a lot of buzz for its subject as well as casting. This project is close to Bhansali’s heart and so, he wants to have a grand launch. He is trying to finish shooting and post production by May.”

Bhansali remained unavailable for comment.