Deepika Padukone recalls her first meeting with Sanjay Leela Bhansali when she was “Unwell & laid Up in Bed.”
Recently, during one of her interviews, Deepika Padukone said that they’d go out for dinner or lunch very frequently, but it was the time they were prepping for Ram Leela at the director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s house, that she looks back most fondly on.
“Sir called us over for lunch and we were eating and there was a piece of crab stuck in my tooth and he wanted to make me awkward, saying, ‘Oh, there’s a crab stuck in your mouth,’ and I said, ‘Then take it out. That moment all three of us won’t forget,” Deepika has shared.
Sharing the memorable moments of her love story, Deepika recalled the time when she met first, saying: “I was at Yashraj and Ranveer was also there and flirting like it’s nobody’s business even though he was dating somebody else at this point, while with a bunch of smile on my face I told him, ‘You are flirting with me.”
Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, who has worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in multiple films, penned a heartfelt note as he completed 25 years in Bollywood. She recalled how, at the time of her debut with Om Shanti Om, she felt that she ‘would never be good enough to be his muse.
Taking to Instagram Stories, Deepika Padukone wrote, “9th November 2007. My debut film Om Shanti Om was pitted against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya. And as grateful as I was (And I still am…I cannot think of another female actor who has been launched in the same manner as I was), I also remember thinking to myself at the time, that I would never be good enough…to be a Sanjay Leela Bhansali muse.”
Remembering her first meeting with Sanjay in 2012, Deepika said that she was very ill when her team informed her that he wanted to discuss a film with her. “Fast forward to 2012. I was extremely unwell and laid up in bed. I received a call from my management saying ‘Sanjay Leela Bhansali wants to meet you.’ I said, ‘What?!’. They said, ‘Yes! He is doing a film and would like to meet you.’ ‘I would do cartwheels to go and see him right away, but I can’t get out of bed right now!’ I said. The next thing I know, he was on his way to see me!” she wrote.
Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Deepika Padukone’s first collaboration was Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela in 2013. They also worked together in Bajirao Mastani and Padmavat.
“What ensued in the years that followed was nothing short of an ‘iconic partnership’ I believe. And together we’ve created ‘iconic characters’. Characters that have been etched in the minds and hearts of people forever!” she wrote. 
The actress Deepika Padukone also credited Sanjay with shaping her as a person. “What I cherish even more though, is the influence our collaboration has had on me. I say this without a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn’t be half the person I am today if it wasn’t for Sanjay Leela Bhansali!” she wrote, adding, “As he embarks on the next phase of this most incredible journey, I look forward to creating many more memorable and iconic characters together, but more importantly, I wish him good health, peace of mind, and happiness…always!”
Thinking back to her first meeting with Sanjay in 2012, Deepika said that she was very ill when her team informed her that he wanted to discuss a film with her. “Fast forward to 2012. I was extremely unwell and laid up in bed. I received a call from my management saying ‘Sanjay Leela Bhansali wants to meet you.
Voguish star Deepika Padukone:
Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress and producer who works in Hindi films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, her awards include three Filmfare Awards.
She stars in listings of the nation’s most popular personalities, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.
