Seems like lovebirds Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone have left their Padmavati director Sanjay Leela Bhansali mighty irked.
The director, who is said to have told the stars clearly that he didn't want them even clicked in the same frame, clearly hasn't taken too well to the viral photo of the two kissing each other making its way to social media.
Buzz has it Bhansali wanted to avoid another attack on the sets of Padmavati and hence the order that his lead actors steer clear of all controversy before the film hits the screens. However, Ranveer and Deepika have flouted the diktat several times in the past, including partying together till the wee hours of the night at producer Ritesh Sidhwani's birthday bash.
Lovebirds commit suicide
Adding fuel to the fire was social media, what with the photo of Ranveer and Deepika's behind-the-scenes kiss from a photoshoot going viral on the internet a couple of days ago.
All of this has apparently left Bhansali fuming. A report in Deccan Chronicle quotes a source as saying, "He doesn't care whether Ranveer and Deepika are seeing each other. He just wanted to avoid the image of the two actors as a couple, as this could harm the film."
The source added, "At a time when the film's anxious producers, Viacom 18 Motion Picture, and director Sanjay want to ensure those protesting against the film that the two have no scenes together, a picture of them getting cosy in public is eminently avoidable, to say the least."
It was in January this year that the Karni Sena, a fringe group, attacked Sanjay Leela Bhansali and torched the set of Padmavati in Jaipur. The attackers took offence to a dream sequence between Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, that was supposed to have taken place in the film. Deepika plays the titular character, Rani Padmini, while Ranveer plays Alauddin Khilji in the film. Shahid Kapoor is stepping into the shoes of Raja Ratan Singh for Padmavati.
Soon, the team of Padmavati clarified that there was to be no dream sequence or a song between Padmini and Khilji in the film. But that did not ease the situation.
The set of Padmavati was attacked yet again in Kolhapur in March this year. Twice bitten, Bhansali decided to brief his lead actors to be discreet. And he is not exactly ecstatic with the way his lead pair has been going around painting the town red.
Padmavati is slated for a release on November 17 this year and the makers are trying their best to avoid any controversy before that.
