Ranveer Singh says he watched 'Nymphomaniac' & did crazy things to channel Alauddin Khilji for 'Padmaavat'

Ranveer Singh is a method actor and he is known to immerse himself deep into the character's skin to deliver groundbreaking performances. And, that is exactly what he did for his2018 historical drama 'Padmaavat', helmed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Recently, while having a candid conversation at Marrakech International Film Festival, Ranveer opened up about theextreme measures he used to take to get into a character, early on in his career, before he developed his acting skills.

Talking about his film 'Lootera' and how he played a character that gets shot in the leg, he revealed that he went to great lengths to physically replicate the pain and get the right look for the shot. He shared that he would use industrial-grade clips to hurt himself and replicate the physical pain one feels after getting shot.

"I used to take these very industrial grade clips and clip them to my hip in the morning, do hair and make-up, and then travel to set. It would collect all of this blood and be very tender… When they said, roll camera, I would hit it and pain would go from the tip of my toe to my hip. I was actually recreating that degree of physical pain because I did not know how to do it," Singh shared.

The B-towner then moved on to his 2018 film 'Padmaavat' and shared how he channelled the evil Sultan Alauddin Khilji, who allegedly committed genocide and killed thousands in battles.

"This was a bit harmful, this character,"said Singh. "Trying to create Khilji, I couldn’t wrap my head around a person who allegedly committed genocide. The kind of things I read about this guy and what he did is unimaginable. I was asking myself how can I play this with conviction. They say he killed 30,000 soldiers and made a giant pillar of all their skulls to deter invaders from coming down that path again."

Singh had to renta small flat in the suburbs to prep for the role. He wouldread about tyrants and subject himself to dark-themed music and films to get into the Khilji zone.

"I locked myself in the apartment for the longest amount of time. I was watching Lars Von Trier films, listening to Krzysztof Penderecki’s soundtrack from The Shining. I was only engaging with these very dark and disturbing themes," Singh shared. "I watched Nymphomaniac 1 & 2 back-to-back. I’d shut the lights and I’d play The Shining soundtrack and try to feel the music, I was doing all sorts of crazy things to get in touch with whatever darkness might be residing in me – I believe everyone had a bit of darkness in them. Do that from morning to night, around the clock for long enough and you become an animal."

Speaking of the diet he followed while filming the SLB film, Singh said, "It was a tough period. I changed my diet, to start with the gut. I ate meat morning, at lunchtime and night. I was sweating mutton. It made me a very aggressive person. I don’t think I was a very pleasant person to be around."