Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor made their debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2007 romantic drama Saawariya. Still, before making their debut, the two had worked as assistant directors on Bhansali’s film
Black. While Bhansali always thought that both of them were stars, they requested that they wanted to work as ADs before becoming stars.
In a video revealing the details of Saawariya’s making, Ranbir Kapoor recalled, “I was studying at a school of visual arts abroad when I first saw Devdas (2002), and I became a big fan of Mr. Bhansali.” It was later, when Ranbir had relocated to India, he visited SLB’s office to drop his resume, and it was that very day when Bhansali told him, “You should be an actor.” But it was Ranbir who insisted on getting the ‘grounding experience in filmmaking.’
For the leading role, Bhansali was sure that he wanted to cast someone who had a classically cut face, like Rekha and Madhubala, and he had no idea who it could be until he saw Sonam Kapoor. But at that time, she was a little healthier, and it was during the time when Sonam was assisting Bhansali on Black that she lost significant weight.
Talking about how Ranbir and Sonam got to know him very well while assisting him on Black, Bhansali shared, “They got to know me very well. They got to know what I like and don’t like, what makes me happy, what makes me angry. I think they got to understand my mind completely.”
Doing a movie with Sanjay Leela Bhansali as their lead wasn’t a cakewalk. Both Ranbir and Sonam had to go through extensive training for about two months. Recalling that time, Salman Khan, who played a small role of Imaan in Saawariya, said, “Even though Ranbir is Mr. Rishi Kapoor’s son and Sonam is Anil Kapoor’s daughter, he (Bhansali) treated them like assistants.”
About Saawariya
Saawariya (2007) is a romantic drama directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, marking the debut of Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. Saawariya is a romantic drama about Raj, a cheerful musician, who falls in love with Sakina. But Sakina still loves her old flame, Imaan, and chooses him when he returns.
