True to her art

Deepika Padukone fans are in for a treat as the actress will star in Sanjay leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Bajirao Mastani in a never-seen-before avatar.

Apart from training extensively in Kathak with Pandit Birju Maharaj, Deepika, who will have some challenging combat scenes in the film, also trained in archery. Sources reveal that to prepare for her role in Bajirao Mastani, the actress underwent a 10-day training course in archery. While initially the production team had decided to shoot some bow-and-arrow scenes with a professional archer and superimpose them with Deepika’s shots, she was keen on trying her hand at it herself.

Says a unit source, “Action director Shyam Kaushal made arrangements for Deepika to learn archery on the set before the shoot began. She underwent a 10-day training course in archery before shooting for the scenes.”

The makers of the film also got a specialist in Maharashtrian traditional clothing hired only to dress up Priyanka Chopra in the traditional looms to maintain authenticity. The lady from Pune also used to converse with Chopra in Marathi which helped her diction in the film. She also helped her in picking jewellery with each out