‘Alia is the most professional actress I’ve worked with’

Sanjay Leela Bhansali may have worked with a host of top heroines over the years and been bowled over by their talent but with Alia Bhatt, his admiration has touched a new high. He is constantly surprised by the range of skills she brings to the set.

The director-producer, who has worked with the likes of Aishwarya Rai (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam; Devdas), Rani Mukherji (Black; Saawariya), Deepika Padukone (Ram Leela; Bajirao Mastani; Padmaavat), and Sonakshi Sinha (Heeramandi) couldn’t say enough in their praise, first directed Alia in Gangubai Kathiawadi, and is now working with her in Love & War. “Alia is the most professional actress I’ve worked with,” he says.

“I owed her a film. After Insha Allah (a proposed love story with Salman Khan) was shelved, I had decided to cast her in an another film,” reveals SLB. “At that time I didn’t know I’d be doing Gangubai next. While, I knew she had it in her! It’s eyes and the power to scream through her silences. I have to admit Alia surrendered completely to my direction. Throughout the film she remained thoroughly committed to her character and did not bring her moods, personal life or any tantrums to the sets.”

“When I worked with Alia in Gangubai I was constantly shaken by what she could bring to a scene,” he shares, adding that he decided while shooting that he would cast her in his next too. “When it came to Love & War I sometimes asked myself, ‘Can she really bring more surprises to her character?’ And she did! I can’t really understand where all these unexplored emotions come from. She is constantly diving into her consciousness to surprise herself. The kind of hard work she has put in says a lot about her dedication to her craft. Alia is a fast learner. Her dedication to getting it right is fearsome,” he gushes.

Raha, the special guest on set

The sets of an SLB film are not what they were earlier. The atmosphere at the Love & War shoots is cordial, but not over-friendly. The director no longer chats with his actors between shots except about cinema. Sanjay Leela Bhansali admits that his rapport with Ranbir, Alia and Vicky Kaushal is not what he shared with his actors earlier. No one visits him at home now—no one is allowed to. All discussions happen either on the sets or in the office.

But there’s one person who is exempt from the serious work ambience — Ranbir and Alia’s daughter Raha. She frequently accompanies her parents to the sets of Love & War and SLB, who is otherwise very strict about allowing guests on his sets, becomes putty in her hands. He even allows her to sit on his chair and call ‘cut’ and ‘action’ and peer into the monitor—something which her parents are not permitted to do.

Little Raha treats the studio set as her playground. When her parents are shooting, the rest of the unit pampers her and makes sure she remains quiet. At the end of the day, a captivated SLB turns to Raha to ask if she will come to the set the next day. “I will think about it,” the little one says with a pert toss of her hair!