Karan Johar wants Alia to work with Bhansali

At Shah Rukh Khan’s big bash on the night of November 3, Karan Johar was overheard recommending Sanjay Leela Bhansali to Alia Bhatt. Everybody knows that Alia is Karan’s favourite protégée. Almost a second father to the actress, he is enormously possessive and protective of her.

Therefore, Karan telling Alia in front of Bhansali himself that she “must work” with the “greatest director among us,” came as a surprise to an invitee at SRK’s shindig who overheard the suggestion. Bhansali, says the eyewitness, smiled and hugged Karan. “There seems to be a mutually respectful bond and a whole lot of affection between Bhansali and Johar. The earlier animosity has been washed away,” said the onlooker.

Alia, in fact, has already visited Sanjay Bhansali at his office twice and has even learnt Kathak, for Karan Johar’s massive period film Kalank, from maestro Birju Maharaj on Sanjay Bhansali’s advice. Says a source, “Mr Bhansali suggested to Alia that she contact Birju Maharaj whom he knows very well. She immediately took his advice so that her Indian classical dancing would match Madhuri Dixit’s expert moves in Kalank. No, they don’t dance together. But they perform classical dances in two different sequences.”