‘Angry Sanjay Leela Bhansali would hurl objects at me if I moved even slightly': Sooraj Pancholi recalls experience as SLB's assistant on Guzaarish

Indian Express

28-05-2025

Actor Sooraj Pancholi, who assisted filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the film Guzaarish, recalled the experience. He said that he was the sixth or seventh assistant on the Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai-starrer, and had got the job as a teenager. Sooraj, the son of actors Zarina Wahab and Aditya Pancholi, lives in the same building as Bhansali. But, he said in a new interview, he no longer feels worthy of working with him. 'I'll approach him only for a lead role, and that too when I make a name for himself,' he said. Over the years, several of Bhansali's past collaborators have opened up about his temper.
Appearing on the Hindi Rush podcast, he was asked about his experience on the film Guzaarish. 'I would get scolded a lot, perhaps more than anyone else. I was the last AD, so I got a lot of gaalis from him. My job was also to sit on Hrithik sir's seat for lighting, and if you look left or right, a file would come flying at you. Not a mic… I learnt a lot. It's like how a mother is with her son. Agar do padenge nahi toh beta seekhega nahi (If you don't get smacked, you won't learn),' he said.
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He said that he lives on the second floor, while Bhansali lives on the fourth floor of the same building. Asked if he has ever approached the filmmaker for an acting role, he said, 'No. I'll only approach him for work when I feel worthy, when I feel like I've made a name for himself. I'm not going to approach him for a side role, I'll only approach him for a lead role.' He said that he got the job as his assistant after having a chance encounter with Bhansali.
Several others have made similar comments about Bhansali in the past. At an event in 2021, Ranbir Kapoor had accused Bhansali of being physically violent with him when they worked together on Black. '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 said. He later told Neha Dhupia that he would never work with Bhansali again, but he changed his stance later, and they're now working together on Love & War.
In an interview with India Today, Bhansali addressed complaints about his temper, and said, 'If I'm not getting what I want, even if I lose my temper, what is wrong in it? If you're not getting a shot, and if someone is spoiling it, what will you do? People have made stories that I'm angry, that I'm badly behaved…'