Sanjay Leela Bhansali also shared Alia’s reaction when he told the actress that she will be her Gangubai in Gangubai Kathiawadi

The acclaimed and popular filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is known for his aesthetics in movies, revealed that Alia Bhatt “cracked up, cried, raved, ranted, and locked herself in a room” when their film Inshallah co-starring Salman Khan was suddenly shelved.

He also shared Alia’s reaction when he told the actress that she will be her Gangubai in Gangubai Kathiawadi.

“I was doing Inshallah with her. Then it suddenly got shelved. She broke down, cracked up, cried, raved, ranted, and locked herself in a room. Then I called her up after one week, and I said you are playing Gangubai. She said, ‘From Los Angeles, where I was supposed to be playing the character (in Inshallah), I have come to Kamathipura. How do I do it? I don’t know this character’. I said, ‘Do you trust me, and do you know me?’ Then I’ll tap into that strong woman in you because I can see it in your eyes. I can see how strong how convinced you are of certain things that you do, I’ve understood your personality’,” he said while talking to The Hollywood Reporter India.

SLB also said that Alia still talks like Gangubai sometimes. “How do you tap into an actor who says, ‘I didn’t know I could play the brothel madam. I didn’t know I had a lower pitch, I didn’t know I had to stand there and do this. I’ve started enjoying sir.’ And she just flew into the role. She even today sometimes talks like Gangubai. It’s so much a part of it. It’s so beautiful to have believed in her, to have tapped in her,” he added.

Gangubai Kathiawadi also featured Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz, Indira Tiwari, Seema Pahwa, Jim Sarbh and Ajay Devgn.

Alia and SLB will reunite for Love And War, which also stars Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal in prominent roles.