Was told Indian audiences are na¯ve: Ranveer on signing Padmavati late

Mumbai: Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, who is 's**t scared' for his upcoming film 'Padmavati', reveals he took a lot of time to say 'yes' to the role of the menacing antagonist, Alauddin Khilji.

"I'm s**t scared. I'm playing an anti-hero. Only when I see the film, will I be able to assess my character. It's a risky move for me. That's why I took so much time to sign it," the 32-year-old told Filmfare.

"For a mainstream leading man to make a choice like this at this stage is dicey. It's a despicable character. He's mean. One of my seniors, and who I believe is one of the greatest actors of all time, advised me to be careful. She told me the Indian audience is naïve. If they love a character, the love will transfer to the actor who played it. In this case, if they hate my character, the hate will be transferred to me," he added.

The 'Befikre' star also talked about ace filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and said he is 'indebted' to him.

"I felt if I had to play negative, it had to be with Bhansali. Also, I cannot say no to him. If I have any standing, it's because of his films. He gave me 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela' at a time when my career wasn't going great guns. He had me play Bajirao in 'Bajirao Mastani', a character that was ahead of my years. I'm indebted to him as an artiste. He has pushed my boundaries and got the best out of me," said Ranveer.

Also starring Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor, Bhansali's magnum-opus is slated to release on December 1, 2017.