Having wrapped up the shoot of '83, maker reveals how Kapil Dev's wife Romi was stunned by Deepika Padukone's look that was modelled on her
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; October 8, 2019)

After stints in London and Scotland, the shoot of Ranveer Singh's ambitious sports drama, '83 — based on India's World Cup victory over the West Indies — has finally drawn to a close. While director Kabir Khan unveiled Singh's look as then-skipper Kapil Dev, the makers have carefully kept the on-screen avatar of Deepika Padukone — who plays Dev's wife Romi Bhatia — under wraps. Buzz is that Padukone, with the help of makeup artist Clover Wootton, has become a spitting image of her muse in the film.

A source from the creative team reveals, "When Deepika was shooting for her portions in London in July, Kapil Dev and wife Romi had casually dropped in once on the sets. While Romi had met the actor several times before, this was the first time she was seeing her sport her on-screen avatar. Romi was surprised by her transformation. In the film, Dippy sports a shorter hairdo, but has not resorted to using prosthetics. The makers plan to reveal her look as part of the run-up to the teaser's release." The source adds that Padukone also imbibed her subject's soft-spoken nature. "During their meetings, Dippy would carefully study her behaviour and has brought these traits alive in front of the camera."

Confirming the news, producer Vishnu Induri says, "When Romi saw Deepika on the set, she remarked that she was looking at a mirror image of herself, from 20 years ago. There is a striking similarity. Kabir and Ranveer had met the Devs at their Delhi home for 10 days before the London schedule, so the director had the opportunity to discuss the inputs with Deepika before they began the shoot."