Ranbir Kapoor’s performance in Saawariya climax made Sanjay Leela Bhansali weep: ‘His talent is second to none’

Ranbir Kapoor had previously outlined the physical and emotional abuse that he suffered at the hands of Sanjay Leela Bhansali while working as his assistant on the film Black.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | October 8, 2024 10:38 AM IST

3 min read

Ranbir Kapoor made his acting debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya.

Ranbir Kapoor didn’t have the most positive experience working as an assistant to director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, before he went on to make his acting debut for him with the film Saawariya. But he said that the experienced shaped him into a better performer. In an interview, Bhansali recalled spotting Ranbir’s acting talent, and predicting that he will go on to do great things. Ranbir was originally supposed to debut with a Bhansali film titled Balika Vadhu, which would’ve starred his now-wife Alia Bhatt.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Bhansali recalled being moved to tears while watching Ranbir’s performance in the climax of Saawariya. He said, “The climax of Saawariya is one of my most favourite pieces of mine… What an actor can do, in seven minutes of complete silence. The way he performed, in one shot… I would just sit there and cry. Because I realised that this is an actor. Whether he’s a good person, bad person (doesn’t matter). He’s a great actor. It shouldn’t matter to you whether I’m a good human being or a bad human being…”

Also read – ‘Alia Bhatt ranted, raved, locked herself in a room’ after film with Salman Khan got shelved, recalls Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Recalling his experience working with Ranbir on the film Black, he said, “I haven’t worked only with stars. I’ve worked with wonderful actors. Nana Patekar is a wonderful actor, only in front of the camera. The rest we will not discuss. Manisha Koirala is a wonderful actor, Seema Biswas is a great actor. What Shah Rukh did in Devdas was very, very special… I have never looked at them as stars. Ranbir, when he was assisting me, I said, ‘You’re a great actor, you have talent that is second to none’… I have been very fortunate.”

Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in Saawariya.

In an earlier interview with Neha Dhupia, Ranbir had outlined the physical and emotional abuse that he suffered at the hands of Bhansali during his days as an assistant. He said that the experience became so overwhelming that he quit the project midway. “When I assisted Mr (Sanjay Leela) Bhansali (on Black), he used to really treat me as an assistant director. I used to be kneeling down for hours, he used to hit us, he used to abuse us… that only hardens you and prepares you for the world… He was beating me… after a point it got so heavy and I felt so tortured that I had to quit the film at a point… I think it was like 10 or 11 months into my job and I am like, ‘Listen I can’t do this, its getting to me. I think I am too sensitive and emotional’. And he got to know me so well and he kind of kept poking into that… he got too much, went crazy as far as I was concerned,” he said.

Against all odds, and nearly two decades after they worked together on Saawariya, Ranbir and Bhansali will reunite on a new project. Titled Love and War, the film also stars Alia and Vicky Kaushal, and is currently slated for a 2026 release.

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