Sanjay Leela Bhansali still considers Salman Khan as his close friend. It is said that Salman Khan has a big contribution in whatever stage he is in his career today. Be it ‘Khamoshi’, ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ or ‘Saawariya’. He says, ‘There are many areas for not becoming Inshallah, but whatever happened is good. He got what was in his destiny. It is said that we write our own destiny, but sometimes destiny comes by writing from above.
The set was ready, not even a single shot was shot
Sanjay Leela Bhansali says, ‘I got very angry when Salman Khan and Alia Bhatt starrer film Inshallah was not made. I was shocked and I started thinking what has happened to me. How did it happen like this? That was my next film after Padmavat, the set was ready, but that film had to be shelved. Whenever we make a new film set, we feel very proud. It is like creating a world. I had to close the film without taking a single shot in such a ready-made set.
‘I was very angry, threw everyone out of the room’
Bhansali further says, ‘I was very angry for the first one week. Usually I don’t sulk, my speed is a bit like Gangubai. It was only in that anger that I had decided to make Gangubai. When I was angry many people tried to convince me. I shooed everyone out of my room and told them to immediately open Gangubai’s script screenplay in the laptop and start work. We had to make some changes in the script of Gangubai, we started doing that right away.
Alia gets shocked after ‘Inshallah’
Alia Bhatt’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ was cast after ‘Inshallah’ was canned. Talking about this anecdote, Bhansali says, ‘I had a conversation with Alia Bhatt. We were in constant touch for Inshallah. The dates that Alia gave for Inshallah were also wasted. I told Aaliya that if you do Gangubai with me, Aaliya was a bit shocked. She said how do I do this, I don’t look like Gangubai anywhere, I said you look like me Gangubai. Finally, after the conversation, Alia agreed and she trusted me. Said that whatever you want me to do, I am ready to do that.’
Shooting of ‘Gangubai’ started after one and a half months
Sanjay Leela Bhansali says shooting of ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ started just a month and a half after ‘Inshallah’ closed. In this one and a half months, his team worked hard, made a big set of Gangubai, made everyone’s costumes and composed the songs of the film. Bhansali says, ‘You only think how angry I was inside and I had finished all the creative work in one and a half months by using that anger in the right way. If this anger is used in the wrong way then it can also go very wrong. Through this whole incident, I recognized the power and importance of anger, also understood that anger should never be expressed in a wrong way.’
‘I had thought of making Bajirao with Salman, I could not make it’
‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ has been released. The audience has given a great response to the film. While ‘Inshallah’ did not even come on the floor. Bhansali says, ‘When the matter of Inshallah was not made, then now what and why to talk about it. When things are not meant to be, they are not made. You think since when I had thought of making ‘Bajirao Mastani’ with Salman Khan-Aishwarya Rai or Salman-Kareena. I think I have many creative angels or guardian angels. He saves me and takes me forward. Maybe he wants to tell that the right time to make that film is not then. Maybe it was Gangubai’s spirit that dragged me from Inshallah and brought me here to make Gangubai now. To tell the truth, till today I do not understand how I got out of the box after packing Inshallah.