Before Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted Rani Mukerji as Gangubai: Aditya Narayan
Singer and television host Aditya Narayan recently shared a lesser-known detail about the early development of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s critically acclaimed film Gangubai Kathiawadi. In a conversation with Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa on their YouTube channel, Aditya revealed that Bhansali had initially considered casting Rani Mukerji in the lead role—years before the film was eventually made with Alia Bhatt. Aditya, who once worked with Bhansali as an assistant director, said the opportunity came after a challenging period in his career. Following the commercial failure of his film Shaapit, Aditya struggled to find work and was out of the spotlight for nearly a year. During that time, even basic support from public relations professionals dried up, and previous project offers disappeared. His fortunes began to shift when he got the chance to host X Factor India, where Bhansali was one of the judges. Encouraged by singer Sonu Nigam, Aditya expressed interest in learning filmmak...