In talks with TOI, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's sources finally break the silence on what actually went wrong between Kareena and the magnum opus director who waited 13 long years to work with each other.
"While Kareena says she played runaway bride from Ram Leela, the director maintains he called off the deal with her because the Juliet of his film can't be a married heroine
Aishwarya Rai couldn't be Heroine because she was pregnant. And Kareena, who is Heroine, can't be Leela in Bhansali's Ram Leela because she's getting married. While the actress said she had walked out from the Gujarati adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the filmmaker says he was the one to take the call not to work with her for this project.
"A Juliet no matter how far removed from Shakespeare's original vision of her cannot be a married woman. With images of her wedding festivities flashing all over, it would have been impossible for Kareena to pass herself as a Gujju Juliet despite her great talent," a source close to Bhansali said.
Initial mutual excitement over finally working together dissolved into doubts and misgivings because, the source added, Kareena was not being clear about her wedding dates. "Sanjay holds no grudge against the actress although she was less than honest with him about her wedding plans," the source said.
To start with, the announcement of her wedding came as a bolt from the blue to the director. "It threw up a series of frightening scenarios. Kareena would, understandably, get busy with pre-wedding and post-wedding events. In the midst of her wedding in October, Kareena also needed at least a month to promote Madhur Bhandarkar's Heroine which releases a month ahead of her wedding date."
"The parting was anything but acrimonious. Sanjay was surprised to read on Monday morning that Kareena had 'walked out' of Ram Leela. The truth is, this was building up for a long time. And money was the least of the problems. Sanjay was extremely keen to work with Kareena. He thinks she is an exceptional actress."
According to this source, it was too early to decide who would step into Kareena Kapoor's sharp stilettos. A friend of Sanjay's, requesting anonymity, said, "It isn't easy to find a replacement for Kareena. Sanjay isn't even trying. He is now looking for a completely new Leela."
This is the third time Bhansali and Kareena have come 'this' close to working with each other. She was earlier offered Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas - both of which eventually starred Aishwarya."
So what do you guys think? After pregnancy, is marriage also seen as a handicap?
