Deepika Padukone didn’t understand why Shah Rukh Khan and Atlee personally came to pitch Jawan to her: ‘Why do you have to narrate?’

Jawan director Atlee recently opened up about his approach in casting Deepika Padukone for the role of Aishwarya, and her unexpected reaction when he went to meet her to narrate the script.

By: Entertainment Desk

Kochi | October 28, 2023 02:11 PM IST

4 min read

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Though Jawan boasted an impressive cast, including Shah Rukh Khan himself, it was Deepika Padukone who stole the show in the end. (Image: Red Chillies Entertainment/Facebook)

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Despite 50 days having passed since its release, Atlee Kumar’s Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan is continuing to attract audiences to cinema halls, a phenomenon that not many Indian films have witnessed in recent years. By minting Rs 1,148 crore worldwide, including a domestic gross of Rs 759 crore, Jawan currently stands as one the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.

Though the film boasted an impressive cast, including Bollywood’s Baadshah himself, it was Deepika Padukone who (un) surprisingly stole the show in the end. Her portrayal of Aishwarya, the wife of Vikram Rathore and mother of Azad, both roles played by SRK, garnered significant acclaim. Director Atlee recently opened up about his approach in casting Deepika for the role, and her unexpected reaction when he went to meet her to narrate the script.

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Mentioning that his initial discussion about bringing Deepika on board the project began with SRK’s manager Pooja Dadlani, Atlee told Filmfare that Pooja recommended reaching out to Deepika through Shah Rukh Khan. However, Atlee said, by the time they eventually approached SRK, he had already contacted Deepika.

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“Shah Rukh sir said, ‘I’ve already spoken to her; she’s interested. She will do it, let her get free. Then we’ll go and narrate; if she feels merit, she will definitely do it.’ And I was also happy about it. So then we flew to Hyderabad; she was shooting for Kalki 2898 AD. We went to her hotel and spoke for two to three hours with her,” Atlee added.

Deepika Padukone with Shah Rukh Khan in Atlee Kumar’s Jawan. (Image: Red Chillies Entertainment/Facebook)

He further recalled that Deepika was initially reluctant to listen to the script because she had already decided to join the project. “But I told her it was not a small character and that it was the central pillar of the film and insisted that she know the character before doing it. After hearing it, she said, ‘Oh, This is a very solid character. Oh my God.’ With respect, love and in the most positive way, she came on board and I really had a fun and inspiring time working with Deepika. She’s something else,” Atlee added.

Heaping praise on the actor’s ability to convey emotions very eloquently, Atlee noted: “When you meet her, just observe her eyes. Eyes can speak more than dialogue. I always went for a close-up shot of her. She has great eyes and she speaks the scene through her eyes more than through dialogue.”

“I edited (out) a lot of her dialogues because she’s such a wonderful actor to work with. For instance, she will come near the bar in that jail scene in the film and say, “Vikram kahan hai?” Before she speaks, you can feel her anger. She aggressively asks about Vikram. She came and did it in one take. I think she has a lot of stuff within her. Any director who is going to get her, I think they are blessed. They’re going to get whatever they want onscreen through her performance,” the Jawan director noted.

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