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Upala KBR (DNA; August 17, 2016)

It’s a move that upset Sanjay Leela Bhansali to no end. His golden boy Ranveer Singh, who plays Alauddin Khilji in his next Padmavati, asked the filmmaker for a script narration a few weeks before the film was to go on floors. The part that didn’t fit the puzzle was, why Singh, who has worked with SLB in the past in two period films, and blindly trusts him, would ask him for a narration at such a late phase?

Shahid to blame?
Ranveer was perfectly fine with working in the Bhansali opus till a couple of weeks ago. Reveals a source, “Ranveer’s role in the film is a negative, but powerful one. SLB has given him some superb dialogues and scenes. But the comfort level between the actor and director changed when Shahid Kapoor came on board as the Rana of Mewar, Raja Rawal Ratan Singh, who is also Padmavati’s (Deepika Padukone) husband in the film.”

Image insecurity
Adds the source, “Shahid agreed once his role became well-defined and he and Ranveer were on an equal footing.” To be fair, Ranveer has every right to ask to see the script when there is another hero in the film. Especially because this is the first time he plays a negative character, which goes against his good boy image, while Shahid plays a dashing Indian Raja. Ranveer’s insecurity stemmed from there, and he asked for a narration before he started shooting for the film.”

SLB-Singh: All is well
Singh has started growing his beard for the look. Adds an insider, “SLB will give him his joint narration with Shahid, if Ranveer so desires, just like he got one for Gunday with Arjun Kapoor. Some of Ranveer’s contemporaries have had bad experiences in two-hero projects, so he is being extra careful. It is better to be safe than sorry.” Absolutely!