I Would Have Done Khilji Differently: Shahid Kapoor

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MUMBAI – Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor, who essays Maharawal Ratan Singh in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s latest epic drama “Padmaavat”, says he would have done the role of Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji differently than Ranveer Singh in the film.

Did he wish to play Khilji?

Shahid said: “Of course. Which actor would not wish to play a character like Khilji in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film? You know, once on ‘Koffee with Karan’, Ranveer said he would have done my role in ‘Kaminey’ better than me… I would have done Khilji differently.”

Asked how different would his approach have been to play Khilji, Shahid said: “Firstly, I do not want to get into those details. Always remember, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the hero of all his films and we actors come second.

“So whether it is the loud and larger than life character of Khilji or the subtleness of Ratan Singh, everything was governed by Sanjay Sir. So, this is his vision of his. What I just said about performing differently, is because we are two different actors and our style of acting is different.”

How was the interaction between Ranveer and Shahid on the set of “Padmaavat”?

“I was Rawal Ratan Singh, who doesn’t react much, so I underplayed on the set as well. I was in my zone, listening to music, in between the scenes.”

However, according to Shahid, working with an talented actor like Ranveer made him put his best foot forward too.

“The dynamics of two characters — Khilji and Maharawal Ratan Singh — was quite interesting for an actor to play. I would say that the scenes between me and Ranveer were some of the best in the film. So, I got that adrenaline rush to up my game to get all the scenes right. It improves our performance.”

The story of “Padmaavat” revolves around three characters – Queen Padmavati, Maharawal Ratan Singh and Sultan Alauddin Khilji.

The film “Padmaavat” released on January 25 and it has already crossed 100 crores at the box office despite not being released in few states due to protests by the Rajput Karni Sena which alleged that the film had distorted history.