Now the story can be told. First, the exquisite ornate jewellery worn by Deepika Padukone in the first Padmavati poster that was released by Sanjay Leela Bhansali this morning is 100% real! Second, it took 500 kg of gold to craft 1,500-plus pieces of jewellery for the film. Third, every piece was approved by the filmmaker who is meticulous in his attention to detail and cost him in the vicinity of Rs. 150 crore. Four, there was massive armed security on the sets of Padmavati whenever this jewellery was being used for the shoot. It was brought and taken by bullet-proof vans that are used to transport cash to ATMs. The security also served to protect the period look of Padmavati that Bhansali has been jealously guarding since the film went on the floor. And, finally, Tanishq – the Tata Group jeweler that secretly curated this collection, is going public with the Padmavati range for Diwali from this Saturday. It starts at Rs. 75,000.

Ever since the Padmavati poster came out this morning, people have been oohing and aahing about how breathtaking Deepika appeared. Part of the reason behind this reaction is the actress’ bejeweled look as Rani Padmini, the Queen of Mewar, on whom the film is based. Delhi costume designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula, whose first Bollywood film this is, confirmed that every piece of jewelry was handcrafted according to 14 century designs of Mewar and Mughal origin. Yes, Bhansali painstakingly worked on the jewellery designs with them before they were given to Tanishq to curate. The jeweler reportedly employed 200karigars over 600 days to create the Padmavati range. And they used precious stones including pearls, opals, topaz, emeralds and kundan for the gold ornaments.

A source said, “Bhansali also worked on the designs for the jewellery worn by Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor who play the characters Allaudin Khilji and Rana Ratan Singh in the film. But he gave extra attention to Deepika’s look. It almost seemed like the filmmaker was determined to make audiences forget the resplendent Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Rani Jodhaa Bai in Ashutosh Gowariker’s 2008 historical romance Jodhaa Akbar with Deepika Padukone in his Padmavati.