Sanjay Leela Bhansali a demanding director: Deepika Padukone

Actress Deepika Padukone says its not easy to work with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali

New Delhi: Having worked with him on two big movies, Deepika Padukone says it is not easy working with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali as he does not get satisfied easily and pushes his team to the limits to get the best out of them.

The actress will be seen in the director's much-ambitious period drama "Bajirao Mastani", which also stars Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra. The trio last worked with the director on romantic saga "Ram Leela".

"'Bajirao' has definitely been the toughest film of my career so far. It has been physically, emotionally and mentally draining. That's the nature of the film and the director I am working with. He is very demanding at every level," Deepika told reporters here.

"He is very clear about what he wants and in that process he pushes you to discover something new in yourself that you didn't even know. In that process of the hard taskmaster, you learn so much. It has been the most difficult experience of my life but when you see the end result you know it is worth."

The 29-year-old actress, who launched her song "Deewani Mastani" from the film here, feels fortunate to have portrayed a "complete woman" like Mastani.

"She is a woman, who was a warrior, a Persian princess but she was much more than that.. She was determined, sensitive and emotional but at the same time she could take on any challenge that she was faced with.

"She was also a nurturer, beautiful and there was nothing she could not do. She was complete in every sense. In today's times, I believe there is a Mastani in every woman. It is amazing for me as an actor to get to play such a woman, who has all these traits." 

The movie is set to clash with superstar Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer "Dilwale" on December 18.

Deepika said Bhansali is extremely guarded about the epic drama and it is a "huge" step from him to launch the film's song two months prior its release.

"It is a huge step that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has taken, the fact, that you guys have the access or a preview to a song. He is someone, who is very guarded when it comes to his work, especially with 'Bajirao Mastani', which is a film he has been wanting to make for years and it has finally happened.

"He is very passionate about what he is doing. The fact that he has allowed us to take the material from the film and show it to everyone is a big thing," she said.

The actress is happy to have an "exciting" year as she has been a part of three different stories--- a sweet tale of father-daughter relationship in "Piku", a contemporary romantic movie "Tamasha", set to release on November 27 and her first ever period film "Bajirao Mastani".

"It has been a very exciting year for me. I had a 'Piku' where I played a simple, relatable and today's Bengali girl from Delhi. And then you have 'Bajirao Mastani', which is a total contrast. So, this is exciting as well as challenging," she said.