Like Ranbir Kapoor, Kussh Sinha admits working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali was tough: ‘I had enough…’| Exclusive

Filmmaker Kussh S Sinha, son of veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha and brother to actress Sonakshi Sinha is all set to make his directorial debut with the film Nikita Roy. Despite hailing from a prominent film family, Kussh’s journey into filmmaking was far from easy. Before stepping into direction, he gained hands-on experience by working behind-the-camera in various fields such as photography, production, and visual development. After studying film direction at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, he went on to assist renowned filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Saawariya (2007).

Kussh Sinha, like Ranbir Kapoor, had to quit midway while assisting Sanjay Leela Bhansali?

Ranbir Kapoor, before marking his Bollywood debut with Saawariya, worked as an assistant director to Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Black (2005). At a 2021 event, the Tamasha actor recalled that Bhansali was extremely strict, sometimes to the point of being physically and verbally harsh. He recounted, “When I assisted Mr. Bhansali on Black, he used to really treat me as an assistant director. I used to be kneeling down for hours, he used to hit us, he used to abuse us… that only hardens you and prepares you for the world.” The actor further revealed that intense pressure and emotional strain ultimately led him to step away from the project.

Kussh Sinha recalls working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Similarly, Kussh who started his career as an assistant director to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, also faced intense pressure during his collaboration with the acclaimed filmmaker. In an exclusive interview with india.com, Kussh stated, “Mr Bhansali had a way of working. During Saawariya, I went there as an assistant director, I do believe that at that point I might have said some things, maybe some things that I shouldn’t have let them happen, but I was very young at that time.”

He admitted that working with Bhansali was challenging and not suited for thin-skinned. Kussh recalled, “So, yeah, it was tough environment, I would say you definitely have to understand yourself as a person, whether you can handle that tough environment or not.”

The reason why Kussh Sinha didn’t work Sanjay Leela Bhansali anymore…

Kussh eventually had to walk away from the sets of Sawaariya due to internal-team conflict. “I could manage that environment, but frankly there was an issue at some point which when I decided that I had enough, because there was some inter-team conflict. It was getting out of hand. So again, I could handle it, but it depends on person-to-person.” He said.

Although Bhansali gave a hard time to Ranbir when he worked as an AD, Kussh still remarked that he received a terrific launch in the industry because of him. “Ranbir was an AD with him. When he worked with him, he became a star at some degree because of him, I wouldn’t say all of it because of Bhansali, but definitely that launch, that entry, that larger-than-life-persona the visual that Mr Bhansali presented him with that some of added into Ranbir’s entry into films.” He said.

About Nikita Roy

Meanwhile, Kussh Sinha’s directorial debut Nikita Roy is all set to release on July 18. Originally scheduled for June 27, the release was postponed due to heavy traffic of movies this weekend, including Kajol’s horror-thriller Maa and Akshay Kumar’s multi-starrer mythological drama Kannappa.

Written by Pavan Kirpalani, Kussh Sinha’s mystery thriller stars Sonakshi Sinha, Arjun Rampal and Paresh Rawal in key roles.

 

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