Ileana D’Cruz Almost Walked Out of Barfi! After Anurag Basu’s On-Set Outburst

The actress recalls a tense day during filming when she decided to quit, only to be convinced to stay after a heart-to-heart with the director and support from producer Siddharth Roy Kapur.

Ileana D’Cruz, who found early success in South Indian cinema before transitioning to Bollywood with Barfi! (2012), has revealed that she nearly quit the film after a difficult incident on set. Known for her roles in Main Tera Hero, Rustom, Raid, Baadshaho, Tera Kya Hoga Lovely, Happy Ending, and most recently Do Aur Do Pyaar, Ileana looked back on one of the most dramatic moments of her career.

During the shoot of Barfi!, Ileana walked onto set one morning in high spirits, greeting everyone, when director Anurag Basu, who was in a foul mood, lashed out at her. The unexpected outburst deeply offended her, leading her to confront him directly. She told Basu that if he didn’t believe she was right for the role, she would leave immediately—without creating any trouble, because she loved the story too much to stay if he was unhappy with her performance.

Overwhelmed, Ileana even called producer Siddharth Roy Kapur and said she was leaving. While she was still preparing for her scenes with full makeup on, Kapur advised her to continue and assured her he would arrive shortly.

Later, Basu returned to the set and affectionately called her “Ilu”—a nickname only he used for her—before explaining that she had simply walked in at a bad time. He asked her not to take his words to heart, and the two ended up reconciling with laughter and a hug.

In hindsight, Ileana’s decision to stay proved pivotal. Barfi! went on to become one of the most celebrated films of the decade, earning praise for its performances by Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana herself, and establishing her firmly in Hindi cinema.