Sanjay Leela Bhansali recalled how he was mesmerized by Deepika Padukone’s beauty when they met for the first time.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali first worked with Deepika Padukone in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013) and went on to cast her in two more films- Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Padmaavat (2018). In a recent interaction, the ‘Devdas’ director opened up on how he was captivated by Deepika’s beauty when he saw her for the first time at her house.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, while recounting his first meeting with the ‘Pathaan’ actress, Bhansali recalled, “When I met Deepika when I went to her house for the first time, she opened the door. I froze by the beauty of the woman, by the eyes, when I realized that there’s so much of subtlety, so much of fragility, there’s so much of beauty. She started talking, and I realized her voice was beautiful.”
The filmmaker said that it was that very instance when he realised that he could ‘mould’ Deepika into one of his characters.
“Then I realized I was at the right place at the right time because I knew this girl would be moulded, would be taken somewhere. It’s your instinct of how you connect. Your soul has to connect to their soul,” Bhansali said in his interview.
On the work front, Deepika Padukone is awaiting the release of her upcoming film, Rohit Shetty’s multistarrer action film Singham Again. Meanwhile, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next directorial is Love And War starring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal. The director had previously collaborated with Bhatt on Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022).