Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his grand film sets. Be it the majestic recreation of Chittor Fort in Mumbai or the recreation of expansive three-acre Lahore’s Heera Mandi for his recently released Netflix show, the filmmaker never disappoints his fans in terms of regality. However, Bhansali’s upbringing starkly contrasts with the opulence he creates on screen; he was born in a modest 300-square-foot chawl. In a recent interview, the ace filmmaker reflected on both his blessings and challenges.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Bhansali shared, “Every artiste has to go through humiliation. If there is no humiliation, there is no anger in you about the wrong or the right that you have gone through. There is no expression. There is nothing you want to say. The expression comes out of angst.”
He elaborated on how his past has shaped his creativity: “I’ve been very blessed to be born to anguish. I’ve been blessed to be born in that 300 square-feet, colourless chawl. I’ve been blessed to have been born to a father who had left unfulfilled dreams behind because it gives me so much grit that no other filmmaker can find it.”
Bhansali added, “You have to understand that I am very cursed and very blessed. I’m very loved, and I’m very hated. I’m very successful, and I’m very unsuccessful. That is the contradiction that makes me what I am. I will always continue to be.”
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Previously, discussing his creative process, Sanjay Leela Bhansali told Galatta Plus, “My mind is chaotic, shaped by a childhood filled with mental voices and disturbances. My work process is about bringing that chaos into order. Any imbalance in my work completely destabilises me, leading to anger and distress.”
For Bhansali, everything he creates is tied to his childhood experiences. “My mother was a dancer who performed in a cramped space because we lived in a chawl. In contrast, my heroines dance in expansive settings. All the trauma I’ve experienced has enriched my filmmaking. I see myself as a sensible person; the grunge of my early life is now part of my visual palette. I ask myself how I can arrange all this chaos into order. This staging originates from my childhood disorder,” he revealed.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali has two projects–Love & War and Baiju Bawra–in the pipeline. Love & War will feature Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal in the lead roles, while Baiju Bawra is rumoured to feature Ranveer Singh.
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