Many Bollywood filmmakers have exercised their bias in favour of an actress. With rumors about Vikram Bhatt and actress Sapna Pabbi's romance doing the rounds, we take a look at Bollywood's famous director-actress duos

It is but a concept that is well-known in the creative and glamour world. After all, who can forget what Uma Thurman is to maverick filmmaker Quentin Tarantino? Indeed, while every filmmaker needn't have a muse, many have grown partial to certain names.


Huma Qureshi's closeness to director Anurag Kashyap - who not only cast but also directed her in Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) - led to numerous rumours that were eventually quelled by Kashyap's now estranged wife Kalki Koechlin

Bollywood too has a fair share of instances where directors have sought to cast their favourite actresses in their projects.

A recent example that comes to mind is that of filmmaker Vikram Bhatt and actress Sapna Pabbi. Pabbi who is making her big screen debut with Bhatt's Khamoshiyaan has apparently been getting special treatment on the sets owing to her 'muse' status.


Actor-director Guru Dutt not only discovered Waheeda Rehman but also called her his muse, before starring in a series of films including Pyaasa (1957).

A source says, "Whatever Sapna demands, she gets it in no time. Vikram Bhatt has been showering extra attention on Sapna. Moreover, the actress has recently shifted to a new apartment, which is located just next to Vikram's house. It has generated a buzz."

When contacted, Vikram Bhatt said, "Sapna has been my neighbour for the last three years and I have nothing going on with her. There's no truth to these rumours." Pabbi was unavailable for comment. hitlist takes a look at B-town's filmmaker-muse duos...

Sudhir Mishra and Chitrangada Singh

Lowdown: Sudhir Mishra worked with Chitrangada Singh in Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and soon became her mentor. He also directed her in Yeh Saali Zindagi and Inkaar, which had the actress cast opposite Arjun Rampal.

Prabhu Deva-Sonakshi Sinha

Lowdown: It is known that Sonakshi Sinha is Prabhu Deva's favourite, having delivered hits like Rowdy Rathore and more recently R... Rajkumar. Both shared a great working relationship in the past and have come to understand each other's working style. The choreographer-turned-filmmaker prefers working with her in his films. In fact, he considers Sonakshi to be his lucky charm.

Rohit Shetty-Prachi Desai

Lowdown: It all started on the sets of Bol Bachchan, where Prachi Desai was the subject of a series of pranks. And guess who was the mastermind behind it all - Rohit Shetty. Soon there was a buzz about Prachi's shopping trips with the director. Rumours also had it that he had started living in with.

Anurag Kashyap-Huma Qureshi

Lowdown: Director Anurag Kashyap, who gave Huma her first break in the industry, is a close friend of the actress. Both of them continue to hang out together. Last year, when Anurag and wife Kalki Koechlin hit a rough patch, it was attributed to the filmmaker's growing fondness for Huma. Of course, Huma has maintained that she has never been romantically involved with Anurag, though rumours say otherwise.

Tigmanshu Dhulia-Mahie Gill

Lowdown: Tigmanshu Dhulia who directed Mahie Gill in his film, Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster was romantically linked to the actress. Buzz had it that the former spent hours mentoring Mahie as they discussed the nuances of filmmaking. The director is apparently keen on seeing her go places and he is said to have helped her out on numerous occasions.

Subhash Ghai-Mahima Chaudhry

Lowdown: Although Mahima Chaudhry's first and only film with Subhash Ghai was Pardes (1997) - he was the one who discovered her. Besides, he was superstitious about the letter M, so he named Ritu Chaudhry as Mahima. However, this mentor-muse relationship soon took a turn for the worse when Ghai accused the actress of violating a contract with his company.