Mumbai: Move over Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Deepika Padukone! Sanjay Leela Bhansali has revealed that it is Priyanka Chopra who is his lucky mascot. “I have tremendous respect for Priyanka. I always tell her that she’s India’s answer to Hilary Swank,” says SLB (Hilary had played a boxer in Million Dollar Baby, just as PeeCee in Mary Kom).
Known to be vocal about his affection for the actors he works with, the filmmaker has had an impactful role in the careers of Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Rani Mukerji, but our Bollywood sources tell us that some of his previous protégés aren’t too happy about what they call a “newfound preference” for PeeCee.
However, aides close to SLB say, “Sanjay has always been vocal about Priyanka’s talent. They bonded well during the shooting of the title song of Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ramleela and Mary Kom. He does feel that PeeCee is his lucky mascot.”
His faith in PeeCee is probably why SLB recently announced that he’s unperturbed by the prospect of touching the daunting Rs 100-crore mark with his Mary Kom biopic. The duo are all set to commence shooting for their film Bajirao Mastani as well shortly.
