Sanjay Leela Bhansali Considers Salman Khan His Only Friend In Bollywood, Says ‘He Stood by me Even When I Messed up’

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has collaborated with actors Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit, among others. However, the filmmaker said that he can only call Salman a friend, in addition to adoring his actors and the characters he writes. Incase you don’t know, Salman Khan and Alia Bhatt were set to play the key parts in SLB’s eagerly awaited film Inshallah. The project was however shelved in 2019 due to creative differences. The director finally talked about his bond with the ‘Tiger 3‘ actor in a recent interview.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali And Salman Khan’s Bond

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, “I love my actors. With actors, your relationship should not be just of friends; you have to love your actors, you have to love your characters that you’re creating. The only person I’m still friends with is Salman.”

Despite their disputes, Salman constantly checks in on him and lets him know when he makes mistakes, according to Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It was formerly thought that the two worked together on ‘Inshallah.’ However things didn’t work out, and the movie was shelved. “Even if a project didn’t happen, he stands by me. He’ll call me, he’ll care for me. ‘Are you okay, bro? You’ve goofed up, you’ve messed up, ” he added.

Bhansali revealed that even if things didn’t fall in place work-wise, Salman Khan would call him up. “On work, we may have sparred, we may have not had our moment correct, and it didn’t fall into place. But after one month, he called me, and I called him, and we talked. So that is a friend. In that sense, I’m fortunate enough to have that friend who once in six months will speak and will exactly start from where we left, ” he continued.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Work Line Up

The filmmaker is getting ready for the filming of ‘Love & War,’ his next project in which Vicky Kaushal, Alia Bhatt, and Ranbir Kapoor play the key characters. December 2025 is the planned release date for the movie.

Speaking about Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, it was the filmmaker’s first time appearing on OTT. The period drama made its worldwide debut on May 1, 2024. The show is set in pre-independence India and tells the tale of courtesans helping Indian independence fighters battle British authority. A star-studded cast of Heeramandi included Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Manisha Koirala, and Sharmin Segal.