Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Padmaavat's Jauhar scene

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat had the most iconic climax of Jauhar displayed on screen. The filmmaker described the sequence as an emotional challenge.

The climax of the movie was shot in the outdoors of Film City in Mumbai. Bhansali said to IANS, "It was scorching heat and we shot with 350 junior artistes. The physical discomfort was somehow bearable. But the challenge was more emotional than physical. By the end of the shooting of the Jauhar sequence, there were frayed nerves and rising tempers."

In between shots, the junior artists would meander off in groups. They also would doze off due to tiredness. There would be a head count during the shoot. The junior artists got restless post the shooting of the scene which continued for a week.

The climax was really difficult for Deepika Padukone who was emotionally drained by the end of the shooting of the scene while Ranveer Singh's physical health wasn't good.

"In the shot where the women throw hot coal on Ranveer, we used burning rubber tyres to look like burning coals. Burning rubber sends off a very strong stench. Every time Ranveer would go into a corner to puke before doing the shot. We were all physically and emotionally exhausted by the time the sequence was shot. To then have some cynics dismiss the Jauhar sequence as regressive and socio-politically incorrect is a huge blow to all the hard work that we all did.", Bhansali said.

The Jauhar scene had drawn criticism as some critics believed that the filmmaker had glorified the age-old practice of self-immolation.