The Saawariya of Merchant?

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has always been in the news for his films, but recently, we heard something which surprised us. Our well-placed source from the film industry told us that Bhansali and choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant are more than just friends. At present, Bhansali is ready to release his Saawariya (November 9) and Vaibhavi Merchant is judging Nach Baliye 3.

Our source said, "Bhansali and Vaibhavi Merchant have been seeing each other since the days of making Black. They have managed to keep their relationship under wraps so far…"

We decided to look into the matter. And got strange responses from them. Our first call was to Vaibhavi. When we asked her if she is seeing Bhansali, there was a long silence initially. When she finally spoke, she sounded ambivalent. She tried to excuse herself saying that she was very tired and would like to speak to us the next day. Then she added that she would answer our question, but only after we spoke to Bhansali and told her what he had said.

We acceded to her request and called Bhansali the next day. But all the director would say was,"No personal questions, please."

Before we could get back to Vaibhavi to tell her what Bhansali had said, she sent us an SMS which read: "I do not like to discuss or disclose anything about my personal life. Ask me anything about my work. I'll let you know. I would really appreciate if you understand this, and my privacy."

The upshot: Neither of them yelled out loud and clear whether they are or are not seeing each other. There was no clear-cut confirmation or denial. So what are we to make of it?