Alia Bhatt talks about Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s reaction when she met him on the sets of ‘Black’

It is a known fact that Alia Bhatt had auditioned for the role of a child artist in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Black’ (2005). The actress was only 9 years of age then, at that point, and was keen to work with the director.

During a recent live session, the actress uncovered SLB’s first response on meeting her and said, “It has been a long journey. I met sir when I was 9 years old, I had auditioned for ‘Black’. Sir saw me at that time and said, ‘She is a heroine, not a child actor’. I did some rubbish audition so I didn’t get it. But I remember him looking at me and saying, ‘One day I am going to make a film with her’.”

She added, “For that one day I waited very long. Now I am 29 years old and finally the film is going to release. It has been one hell of a journey. Working with him is one of the highest creative experience you can have as an actor, as an artist.”

Alia Bhatt plays the title role in period drama ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, who was quite possibly the most powerful madams from Mumbai’s red-light area Kamathipura during the 60. Talking about the prep for her role, Alia had told PTI, “He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) wanted me to watch Meena Kumari’s work a lot, her expressions… the way she would sing a song, although I am not going all out singing songs in the movie. There is a certain sadness in her eyes, but there is a power to her face. He would say, ‘See her face, which is so full’… I also watched Mandi.”