Bhansali sir had fleetingly mentioned that he wanted to do Bajirao Mastani next while we were filming Ram Leela. But I thought that he has often spoken about it, and if at all he does it, it would be much later. I didn't expect him to take it on floors so soon after Ram Leela, which was an exhaustive film. I remember that I was shooting for Finding Fanny when he called. I was so surprised. Bhansali sir is known to take time when he switches from one movie to another.
Bajirao Mastani is a dream come true for me. I had been hearing from my school days that Bhansali sir wants to make this film. I never expected that it will land in my lap, one day. it has been a surreal experience. Trust me, we haven't had the time to sit back and absorb what's going on. We have been working on this venture non-stop in some way or the other since the past one-and-half year. I think it's going to hit me only next week that 'Wow, this film has actually happened'.
Let's go back to the days when you started rehearsing for this film...
I rehearsed- but only a little bit. Of course, I did my training on Kathak with Birju Maharajji, and took lessons in horse-riding and sword-fighting. And that's about it.
I am not someone who likes to rehearse too much. As for the costumes, Sanjay sir and I both like to know in advance what we'll be using for a particular scene. More often than not, we were on the same page. If I differed, I would tell him.
Did he allow you to have your way on those occasions?
Yes. He would always say that I should go with my instinct. He would give me full liberty. He never imposed himself. Ditto for my hairstyle in scenes. Choti banane ka socha tha, par kai baar humne baal khule hi chhod diye. If you are making a film, I believe that different energies come on different days to make a particular thing work. No matter how much planning you have done, you should never let your gut go to sleep.
Was dancing tough on the sets of Bajirao Mastani, especially in the Pinga song?
Pinga was the first song I shot for the film, so it was a sort of warm-up for me. In fact, my second dance in the film- the Kathak number- was extremely tough. On its second day, I almost gave up. It was so demanding.
Coming back to the Pinga song with Priyanka (Chopra), I must say that it was a responsibility to pull it off. I was with someone who was finding it equally easy and difficult. Priyanka and I were feeding each other and chatting to catch up on everything whenever we got some time. We watched each other's back and made the situation as light as possible.
Comparisons will be drawn between Priyanka and you...
Comparisons have already happened just with the Pinga song. They were bound to happen. It's not that I don't understand that people will talk about two heroines dancing in the same frame (pauses and thinks).
But I don't know why we have a habit of comparing A to B, B to C, and so on. I find it totally unnecessary and wish that people learn to accept things the way they are.
It's unusual to see two heroines bonding, but we heard about Priyanka and your dosti on the sets of SLB's film?
Priyanka and I have known each other since my modelling days, She was an established actress even then. The people who have tried to create friction between us have failed miserably. She was the first person I met when I first came to Mumbai. I couldn't have asked for a better Kashi.
Objections have been raised against Bajirao Mastani for distorting history...
I would say: Watch the film before coming to conclusions. Don't jump the gun. If you'll have issues after the release, we can still definitely address them. A similar thing happened to us in Ram Leela.
Does the box-office performance of your last film Tamasha hurt?
I find it amazing that many actors keep a track of other actors' films. But I have never been a 'numbers' person on even my own films.
Men have come up to me and said that they cried through Tamasha. A senior film critic recently told me that he cannot get several visuals of that film out of his head, especially my break-up scene with Ranbir. That is the kind of impact the film has had on many people. I have been getting letters from the corporate world about the same. That's so satisfying. Shouldn't films be made for people to take home something that they can cherish? To me, as an actor, Tamasha is a film that I am most proud of.
I think it boils down to the cost incurred. There's a school of thought that a lot of money could have been saved if the film had been shot not in Corsica...
Sure. But I won't understand that comparison. It was the director's (Imtiaz Ali) vision and the producer's (Sajid Nadiadwala, Disney UTV) call. An actor can only act in a film and make the character come alive (pauses).
Go on...
Imtiaz's passion and intensity as a director is so evident in Tamasha. He wanted two actors in this film whom he could trust blindly. We had a mota-mota script but Ranbir (Kapoor) and I brought a lot of our own on the table. Imtiaz is a very important person in my life. In fact, if you ask me to talk about him as a director, I would feel really strange. Ranbir, Imtiaz, Nadiadwala and I are very proud of Tamasha.
Bajirao Mastani locks horns with Dilwale...
It's not a clash. It's being made to look like a clash. I have worked with Rohit (Shetty) in Chennai Express. Bhansali sir and Rohit are two vastly different storytellers. Even their personalities are so different. As an audience, I would be simply very excited that I am going to get two big films in one day.
Will it affect the box-office? 100 per cent, it would. But don't ask me how much. As I said, I am not a 'numbers' person.
You are leading the pack in the heroine category. Sexism is the talking point in Bollywood. Should heroines be paid as much as heroes?
I would like to reserve my take on this for another day.
May I ask in another way. Do you agree that there is unfair disparity in remuneration and opportunities?
(Sighs) Yeah, there is a huge disparity.
Does it go down well with you?
I am not going to crib about it. I would rather see how things have evolved in the past two-three years. It's a process. Things are so deep-rooted that it won't be possible to undo them quickly. It can't happen overnight, but the wheel has started to turn. To begin with, the roles for heroines have a new meaning in today's Bollywood. Piku is a classic example.
Please conclude...
We are headed in the right direction. It is going to take time to correct the system, but it will happen.
Image source: Manav Manglani & twitter/deepikapadukone