Mumbai: Sanjay Leela Bhansali has once again revived his pet project Bajirao Mastani after announcing it in 2003.
Based on the epic love story of the renowned Maratha general Peshwa Bajirao and his half-Muslim second wife Mastani, the filmmaker's magnum opus hit a roadblock when the then couple Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai his original choice to play the infamous lovers split.
A source says, "Bajirao Mastani is very close to Bhansali's heart. He keeps reviving it every few years. He had started working on it before Saawariya and Guzaarish.
He won't breathe easy till the project sees the light of the day.
He even considered making the film with Salman and Kareena in 2005, but dropped the idea because both actors had signed another film with Priyadarshan.
Bhansali feared that his lead pair would lose exclusivity and charm if they did another film together at the same time."
However, the filmmaker is relentless. He refuses to give up on the project, but making the film now may be an even bigger challenge for him.
For one, he may not be able to rope in Salman given the strained relations between the two of late. Plus, Sallu's schedule is jam-packed and he'd have to wait a minimum of two years to get his dates.
The bigger problem, however, would be finances. Post his two flops, Saawariya and Guzaarish, he may not find it easy to generate the kind of budget he'd need to make a film of this magnitude.
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