Filmmaker Rohit Shetty did the unexpected with Singham Again, bringing together Bollywood powerhouses to expand Singham’s cop universe. The move indeed made headlines and paid off, as the film became the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. However, what excited fans even more was the anticipation of seeing Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone reunite on-screen. Many hoped the two would share romantic scenes or at least have some screen time together, but to their disappointment, this didn’t happen.
In a recent interview, Rohit Shetty explained why: he wanted to stay true to the storyline and avoid offending anyone. Ranveer’s character in the film is inspired by Lord Hanuman, so adding a romantic subplot seemed out of place and could have been controversial.
Talking about the same, Rohit said, “When you are dealing with Ramayan, you are dealing with everybody’s emotions; that includes my emotions as well. We introduced him when the chapter of Hanuman was being told. It was easy for us to cater to the Deepika and Ranveer [chemistry]. But it was a conscious decision, as you can see there are even no songs in the film. You don’t want to hurt anyone emotionally. And when you are dealing with Ramayan, you have to be very careful. So, them not coming together or having a banter was because of the reflection of their on-screen characters,”
He further added that he was very clear about what and what couldn’t each character do. He said, “We had to be careful, and it was the most important thing while we were writing, shooting, or even editing. We were always clear about what Ranveer could not do, or Bebo [Kareena Kapoor], or other characters, because as I said, we didn’t want to hurt anyone. We were also scared when the film was releasing. Only by Friday evening (the day of release), were we finally happy and relieved.”
Rohit’s careful consideration was undoubtedly a smart move, as it’s often uncertain what audiences might or might not appreciate. When dealing with religious storylines, it’s always important to handle them sensitively and tread lightly.
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