Salman Khan teases Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Alia Bhatt about their shelved film Inshallah at awards show. Watch

In 2019, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Salman Khan were due to reunite again after 12 years for a grand project titled Inshallah. The filmmaker had roped in Alia Bhatt as the female lead opposite Salman. Unfortunately, the project was shelved due to creative differences. The actor, who was one of the hosts of the 68th Filmfare Awards on Thursday, teased Sanjay and his Gangubai Kathiawadi leading lady Alia about it during a moment at the ceremony when the period film picked up an award for dialogues. (Also read: Salman Khan refuses to take credit for Pathaan success: ‘Yeh credit Shah Rukh Khan se koi cheen nahi sakta’)

A fan shared the light-hearted moment on Twitter from the awards show. They captioned the brief video, “Salman bhai pls stop playing wid our emotions.” In the clip, writer Utkarshini Vashishtha is accepting the Filmfare Award for Best Dialogues. She exclaims, “Then I’ve got to thank god for Alia Bhatt!” Salman quips back, “Inshallah.” Sanjay and Alia, who are both seated next to one another in the audience, burst into laughter with the actor covering her face with her hands. “Inshallah, we got her,” Utkarshini adds.

In the Twitter post’s comments section, a fan asked, “Chances hai kya??? (Is there a chance?).” Another fan added, “manifesting for inshallah 2024 eid.” Yet another fan shared, “This got back the memories from the day Inshallah was announced. The wave of emotions I went through not knowing whether to be excited about it or nervous. But it definitely would have been one of the most anticipated movies.”

After Inshallah was shelved, Sanjay announced he was working with Alia on Gangubai Kathiawadi. The film, which also featured Ajay Devgn, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jim Sarbh and Vijay Raaz, ended up winning eight awards including Best Film, Best Actor in Leading Role (Female) and Best Director.

Meanwhile, fans are still waiting for Sanjay and Salman to reunite after Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Saawariya (2007). Last year, the filmmaker had told Bollywood Hungama that he wanted to work again with Salman. He said, “My utmost regard and respect for the person who did Khamoshi for me, who did Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam for me, and who stood by me during Sawariyaa. He has been an important part of who I am today and I will always respect him for it. The ball is in his court for him to decide if he wants to work with me.”