Sanjay Leela Bhansali revealed in an interview with Film Companion, while talking about Alia Bhatt’s film Gangubai Kathiawadi, that he saw Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt meet for the first time when the actress was 11 years old.

The filmmaker stated that Alia went to him with her mother, Soni Razdan, to audition for the role of Rani Mukerji’s younger version in Black. Back then, Ranbir Kapoor was also assisting Bhansali on his project, Saawariya.

“I said, ‘Ranbir, just sit next to her’, because Ranbir was assisting me in Black at that time. And I said, ‘Come on, now let’s take some pictures. Put your head on his shoulder.’ So she [Alia] said, ‘No.’ So I looked at Soni and said, ‘What is this?’ She said, ‘She’s shy,’” Bhansali narrated the incident.  

In fact, the director still has the photograph of the two of them, which he sent to Alia for her birthday last year.

Here is the full interview: 

Meanwhile, Alia admitted to having a long-standing crush on Ranbir in a 2014 interview. She mentioned the same encounter with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, where she met Ranbir for the first time.

It was damn stupid. And Sanjay sir still tells me you were flirting with Ranbir even at that time. I didn’t even know what flirting meant then.

Now, we’re more eager to see Ranbir and Alia’s first photograph together than their wedding photos.