Sanjay Leela Bhansali is keeping quite busy these days as he is gearing up to direct not one but two big-ticket movies in months to come. He will start with his much-awaited film Gangubai Kathiawadi with Alia Bhatt, followed by his next magnum opus titled Baiju Bawra.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions officially announced Baiju Bawra on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, "After the release of Gangubai Kathiawadi on 11 Sep 2020, Sanjay Leela Bhansali to make his most ambitious film project titled Baiju Bawra... Revenge story of a maverick maestro... Diwali 2021 release,” read the official statement.
The latest we hear that Bhansali is in talks with superstar Ajay Devgn to play the lead role in Baiju Bawra. Divulging some crucial details, a source in the know tells an entertainment portal, "It's a two-hero film that Bhansali had been planning for some time. It has been in the works for more than a couple of years actually. In fact, at one point, he was all set to bring Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan together one more time with this period drama. They had liked the idea and wanted to do a film because both the roles are equally powerful in the script. But that did not happen."
Before announcing Baiju Bawra and Gangubai Kathiawadi, Sanjay Leela Bhansali was set to team up with Salman Khan on Inshallah. However, the superstar exited the project at the last moment and the dynamics between him and the director changed drastically afterwards.
"Sanjay and Salman decided to part ways on Inshallah and that happened on bitter terms. He wanted to announce Baiju Bawra first but he had already committed to Alia and wanted to stick to his commitment. He then moved ahead with Gangubai's biopic that will roll out and take up the dates Alia had already allotted for the film with SK. But after the big fight, Salman and SLB are not on talking terms and he immediately bounced the role to Ajay who seemed keen."
If Ajay Devgn agrees to come onboard to play the male lead in Baiju Bawra, the film will mark his reunion with Bhansali after two decades. The last two worked together was on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999).