Ileana D’Cruz says she almost walked out of Barfi after Anurag Basu lashed out at her on set: ‘I broke down, called producer…’
Ileana D’Cruz opens up about the moment she almost walked out of Barfi after a misunderstanding with director Anurag Basu.
Barfi holds a special place in Ileana D’Cruz’s heart, but her experience on the set wasn’t always smooth. In an interview with NDTV, Ileana shared that there was a moment when she considered leaving the film after a clash with director Anurag Basu.
“One morning, I walked onto the set feeling cheerful and greeted everyone. Anurag was in a bad mood, something triggered him, and he shouted at me. I was really offended. I told him, ‘If you’re unhappy with my work, I’ll leave. I love this story, but I can’t be part of it if you don’t think I’m right for the role.’ I called the producer, ready to walk out,” Ileana recalled.
Later, after speaking with Vidya Balan’s husband, Sid, she was encouraged to continue filming. Anurag returned to the set, called her “Ilu”—a nickname she usually doesn’t allow—and explained he had just walked in at a bad time. The tension melted away, they laughed it off, and hugged it out.
Barfi, released in 2012, starred Ranbir Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz, and Priyanka Chopra, and was set in 1970s Darjeeling and Kolkata. The story revolves around Barfi, a deaf-mute man, and his relationships with Shruti (Ileana) and autistic Jhilmil (Priyanka). Directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures, the film also featured Saurabh Shukla, Ashish Vidyarthi, Jisshu Sengupta, Roopa Ganguly, and Haradhan Bandopadhyay.
Ileana was last seen in the 2024 romantic comedy Do Aur Do Pyaar, directed by Shirsha Guha Thakurta, alongside Vidya Balan, Pratik Gandhi, and Sendhil Ramamurthy.
