4 min readMumbaiApr 16, 2026 09:45 PM IST
Kangana Ranaut has often spoken her early struggles in the film industry, where she tirelessly sought work in her formative years. Recently, Kangana recounted a particularly pivotal moment from that period, involving none other than Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and maverick filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
‘She is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s heroine’
In a conversation with ANI, Kangana Ranaut opened up about her encounter with Salman Khan during her early days. “When I was struggling in my very early days, I met Salman through a contact. I was barely 16 or 17, nothing had really happened yet. He looked at me and said, ‘She is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s heroine.’ That’s exactly what he said. He told me, ‘You should go and meet Sanjay Bhansali.’”
For Kangana, Salman’s words were a major compliment, especially considering the filmmaker’s stature at the time. “Salman said, ‘He’ll see you and sign you right away.’ I thanked him, and he insisted, ‘No, go introduce yourself. Go meet him.’” Overwhelmed with excitement, Kangana followed Salman’s advice. “So that very day, I went to Sanjay sir’s house with my portfolio, just a bunch of pictures, like strugglers usually carry. His mother was there too. I told him, ‘Salman sir has sent me.’ He said, ‘Yes, yes,’ and asked, ‘What is this?’ I said, ‘This is my portfolio.’”
‘Bhansali didn’t sign me, regretted later’
Kangana Ranaut recalled how Sanjay Leela Bhansali scrutinised her photographs. “He went through the pictures, looking closely at my face. Then he said, ‘You look different in every picture. What is your actual face like?’ He added, ‘If we straighten your hair, you look different. If you put on a wig, you look different.’” She humorously asked him, “Is that good or bad?” to which Bhansali responded, “You’ll know.” But despite their meeting, he did not sign her for any project. Reflecting on this moment, she said, “Of course, he didn’t sign me. And I think what he meant was, if you make it, you’ll understand.”
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‘I don’t want to do item numbers’
Years later, Sanjay Leela Bhansali admitted to having second thoughts about his decision to not cast Kangana Ranaut in a film. “Whenever Sanjay sir meets me now, he remembers that moment. He often says he wishes he had listened to Salman Khan,” Kangana revealed. At that time, as a newcomer in the industry, Kangana was desperately in need of work. However, her career eventually took off with films like Tanu Weds Manu and Queen, which were major commercial successes. Once she had gained recognition, she found herself in a position of strength, and Bhansali came knocking once again, this time for an item number in his film Ram Leela.
But Kangana said no. “I was the highest-grossing actress at that time. It was just after Tanu Weds Manu, and Queen. At that time, he offered me a song in Ram Leela. He said, ‘You should do this song,’ but I said, ‘Sir, I don’t want to do item numbers.’ And he kind of didn’t like it.”
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Previously, in an interview with NBT, Kangana Ranaut candidly expressed her reasons for turning down the offer: “Even Sanjay Leela Bhansali called me for an item number in Ram Leela. Everyone said I was crazy for turning him down. I can’t do it. Whether it’s Bhansali or anyone else, I just can’t. How can you portray women like this?”
