Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali spoke about his reaction when he met actor Deepika Padukone for the first time. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter India, Bhansali said he visited her home and froze when she opened the door for him. He added he was mesmerized by Deepika's beauty as well as her voice. 

Bhansali praises Deepika

Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, "When I met Deepika when I went to her house for the first time, she opened the door. I froze by the beauty of the woman, by the eyes, when I realized that there's so much of subtlety, so much of fragility, there's so much of beauty. She started talking, and I realized her voice was beautiful."

Bhansali and Deepika's films

"Then I realized I was at the right place at the right time because I knew this girl would be moulded, would be taken somewhere. It's your instinct of how you connect. Your soul has to connect to their soul," he also added.

Bhansali and Deepika first worked in the 2013 film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. It also starred Ranveer Singh, Supriya Pathak, Richa Chadda, Sharad Kelkar, Gulshan Devaiah, Barkha Bisht Sengupta, and Abhimanyu Singh. Priyanka Chopra had a cameo in the song Ram Chahe Leela.

Next, they worked together in Bajirao Mastani in 2015. The film also starred Ranveer, Priyanka Chopra, Tanvi Azmi, Vaibhav Tatwawaadi, Milind Soman, Mahesh Manjrekar and Aditya Pancholi. Their last film together, so far, was Padmaavat which released in 2018. It also starred Ranveer with Shahid Kapoor, Aditi Rao Hydari, Jim Sarbh, Raza Murad, and Anupriya Goenka.

Deepika and Bhansali's upcoming films

Fans will see Deepika next in Singham Again, which will release in theaters on November 1. The Rohit Shetty film also stars Ranveer, Tiger Shroff, Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Jackie Shroff, Akshay Kumar, and Arjun Kapoor.

Bhansali will helm Love and War which features Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, and Vicky Kaushal. The film will be out in theatres on March 20, 2026. Love and War is expected to go on floors in the coming months.

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