Sanjay Leela Bhansali recalls getting 'dismissed' by Vidhu Vinod Chopra during struggling days

In Pic: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the ace director, was once a boy from a Mumbai chawl. His journey to becoming one of the top directors in the Hindi film industry was not a cakewalk. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Bhansali recalled how Vidhu Vinod Chopra gave him his first job as an assistant after dismissing him at first.

While sharing, he said, "My entry into the film world was impossible. How did this boy, living near Bhindi Bazaar, come here? That boy never spoke well, had no friends, no influence, but there is a path, and it's a long path."

He further shared that it was his sister who helped him reach the position he is in today. He explained, "My sister worked with Vidhu Vinod Chopra. She approached his ex-wife, Renu Chopra, who forced him to take me on. Vinod Chopra, in his characteristic style, initially dismissed me. But then he accepted me, and I worked with him for 8 years."

Sanjay Leela Bhansali added that working with Vidhu Vinod Chopra prepared him for anything. "He made me iron and steel. After working with him for 8 years, you can face anything in the world. To this day, if Vinod Chopra calls, I stand up when I talk to him. That is the gratitude I feel towards someone who changed my life," he concluded.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love and War's new release date

The release date of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial 'Love and War' has been changed. The film, which stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in the lead roles, will now be out in theatres on March 20, 2026, instead of Christmas 2025, as per Bhansali's team. Love and War will be the first collaboration of Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Leela Bhansali after the actor's 2007 debut Saawariya. While Vicky Kaushal has never worked with the filmmaker, Alia Bhatt teamed up with Bhansali in the 2022 drama Gangubai Kathiawadi.

The film was officially announced in January 2024. The original announcement on Instagram read, "We Bring You Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Epic Saga 'Love & War.' See You At The Movies Christmas 2025." It came with the signatures of the lead trio, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal.

(With inputs from ANI)