Rani Mukerji’s dependable filmmaker-friend Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who offered her best of Rani’s performing space in Black and Saawariya, wanted her to portray the role of Mary Kom, the bio-pic that Priyanka Chopra is now wrapped up in putting on celluloid. Believe it or not, Rani, the first choice for the film, lost the wonderful opportunity by laying down unreasonable conditions.

According a source, “Rani had already burnt her fingers badly with relatively new directors Anurag Singh in Dil Bole Hadippa and Sachin Kundalkar in Aiyya. So when Omang Kumar with zero experience in direction came to Rani with the offer to do Mary Kom, Rani politely suggested that Omang first shoot a few scenes with her. If she liked them she’d do the rest of the film.”

Omung understandably leaved impulsively and signed Priyanka Chopra instead. Says the source, “No actor, not even Naseeruddin Shah can do a test-run with a director. You either do a film or you don’t. At the moment, Rani is exploring her celluloid options very carefully.”