A saga of passion

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his grand and breathtakingly beautiful films. Now, all set for his latest release ‘Ram-Leela’, the director talks to RAjiv Vijayakar about taking on challenges...

You have to meet the man to feel the crackle of passion and intense conviction in whatever he does. Standards are indeed set high for Sanjay Leela Bhansali, probably Hindi cinema’s only present-day director with a mixed record at the box-office who has a remarkably-consistent cinematic graph.

His latest epic, Ram-Leela, a contemporary Romeo and Juliet tale set in rural Gujarat, starring Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, releases on November 15. Bhansali is director, co-writer, producer and also composer of this film. That alone places him in a similar league to Satyajit Ray, who would compose an apt music score for his movies himself.

Khamoshi — The Musical, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Black, Saawariya and Guzaarish represent Bhansali’s directorial oeuvre till now. Which film is closest to him?

After a moment’s thought, the answer comes: Black. “It was a big step for me then, with two colourful hits behind me. Black was almost without colour, a story of intense love. There was despair and darkness, but also hope. There were great performances, and till now, it holds the record for Filmfare awards won by a single film. The movie was appreciated worldwide and people remember it even now, eight years later.”

Donning different hats

Bhansali has also produced My Friend Pinto and Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi with other directors including his sister Bela Segal in the latter film. But what made him produce a film like Rowdy Rathore?

“I have never made any film to ensure a blockbuster run. Rowdy Rathore was made just to have fun and to revisit my childhood, which has been spent in savouring films like Loafer, Chor Machaye Shor and Pratiggya. We must not forget the importance of those films — they were entertainers, had great stories, performances and music, and satisfied either angst or cravings within us. They were mass entertainers.

Rowdy… wasn’t meant for people who only like films like The Lunchbox.”

As Bhansali started out as a choreographer in 1942 — A Love Story, how much of the larger-than-life choreography of Ram-Leela is his own? “See, a director motivates and guides all the creative people involved in his film. He should be clear about what he wants from everyone. After this, he should not ideally interfere. Though I am also a choreographer, I have entrusted that department to Vishnudeva and shared my vision with him.”

But somewhere, Bhansali’s return to the vibrant and colourful feel of Ram-Leela after three ‘dark’ films must have been influenced by the desire to reconnect with the audience as a filmmaker, even if not to just succeed at the box-office?

Says Bhansali, “I agree, but more importantly, it was also the joy that I personally felt after making Guzaarish that made me ready to take on Ram-Leela, which I had planned to make even before Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Guzaarish was my most positive film. What can be more positive than a dying man granted the right to end his suffering and throwing a celebration party for the occasion? I became far happier in my personal life. My fear of death and attraction to it disappeared. This was the time and mood to make Ram-Leela.”

In retrospect, Bhansali agrees that it was good that he made the film now than earlier when he was much less experienced as a filmmaker. “I always wanted to make a film with a character who shared my mother’s name, someone who is as sharp, as namkeen,” he smiles. “We did not have infrastructure like today in the late ‘90s. I am happy that I still have the energy and passion — minus the complacence or over-confidence that is fatal for any filmmaker — to make what I thought of making then!”

The film’s treatment is larger-than-life because “that’s the way we are. Indians are different in our display of emotions,” says the filmmaker. “We still follow the nautanki (folk theatre) style and have an obsession for that form of telling a story. My all-time icon as a filmmaker is V Shantaram, especially in the way he uses music and dance.”

Bhansali has worked with superstars like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit and also with rank newcomers like Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. How does he cast his actors? “It is about matching the role and the character, not the star-status. I watched Ranveer Singh in Band Baaja Baaraat and was convinced that this boy is a Delhi ka ladka. Imagine my surprise when he turned out to be a boy from Mumbai’s up-market suburb of Bandra! He fitted my character.”

Bhansali is also happy that Deepika Padukone came to essay Leela, even if by default. “Her small head and exquisitely-shaped neck apart, Deepika’s spontaneity is remarkable. Her timing, rhythm and sur were spectacular. I would often change scenes and lines after rehearsals and Ranveer and she would adapt despite the pressure on the sets.”

Turning composer

Ram-Leela has been given an old-world charm with hum-worthy, ethnic songs written by the film’s scriptwriters Siddharth-Garima. “How can we forget our roots?” asks Bhansali, who calls his music and the film a “clutter-breaker” in today’s scenario. “Romeo And Juliet is a great play and Gujarat has a great culture. In this blend, all the aesthetics are from my heart. Somewhere I have put in all that I have learnt from Shantaramji. I wish I could have shown the film to him and told him that!”
And where did he inherit his musical acumen and flair for making songs? “My father used to play a lot of music at home,” he says.

“Besides Hindi film music, I was exposed to a whole lot of Maharashtrian influences and classical greats. The turning point came when I choreographed and filmed the songs of 1942 — A Love Story. I saw Panchamda (R D Burman) make songs both ways — the tunes would come first or the lyrics. As a child, I had two principal icons — R D Burman and Laxmikant-Pyarelal — and I was amazed that I could meet one of them and watch how he worked. I had begun to compose tunes from childhood, and I saw the difference between my work and what Panchamda was doing right before my eyes!”

Why did Bhansali then not turn composer with his debut film? “I thought that I should learn more of the art and craft first, which is what I did from all my music composers till I was ready to take the plunge with Guzaarish.”

With Nagada Sang Dhol, Ram Chahe Leela, Ishqyuan and Tattad Tattad spearheading the chartbusters of this album, doesn’t he feel a sense of exultation that he has given better music than the top professional composers in the market today? Evading the direct question diplomatically, he says, “When you have grown up on Shankar-Jaikishan, O P Nayyar, Panchamda and Laxmikant-Pyarelal among so many others, you cannot do so otherwise.”

Finally, why has he given only two songs to his protégé Shreya Ghoshal? “In the 11 years since Devdas, Shreya has done me proud, and I can unhesitantly state that she can sing anything. But young singers like Bhoomi Trivedi and Aditi Paul were, I think, the perfect casting for the songs I have given them.”

In a country where films and cricket are equally great addictions, Bhansali awaits the verdict on Ram-Leela.