Sanjay Leela Bhansali

I've always wanted to work with Hrithik: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

nishtha — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:23:38 +0530

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali says he always wanted to work with Hrithik Roshan and he's doing exactly that in his new venture that also stars his favourite actress - Aishwarya Rai. The two have already created wonders together in Dhoom-2 and Jodhaa Akbar.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. You seem to have quietly signed a Pakistani actor called Imran Abbas for Heera Mandi.
A. So quietly that even I don't know about it. I haven't signed anyone called Imran Abbas. I'm not making Heera Mandi right now. It may happen much later.
I'm now directing another film with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. I'm very excited about the film, and so are they.

Q. You continue to be fearless in spite of Saawariya?
A. This is the time when filmmakers need to be fearless and experiment with themes. Fearlessness is my biggest asset as a filmmaker. I will continue to make films that come from deep within me. My very first film Khamoshi: The Musical didn't do well at all. A lot of people think it's my best work.

Q. So are you as proud of Saawariya as the rest of your films?
A. Of course. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or Devdas can be made again, but Saawariya cannot. It's my rarest work in terms of treatment. It had beautiful performances and visuals. I tried to put a stage-play on film. Of course at the end of the day the audience decides what it likes.

Q. So have you met Pakistani actor Imran?
A. Moin Beg, who has written Heera Mandi, wanted me to meet Imran. So I met him almost a year ago, but I immediately realised he wasn't the actor I was looking for. Just because I don't speak out, people take advantage of my silence.

Q. Why don't you clarify the misconceptions when they occur?
A. I can't bring myself to become the master of sound bytes. But beyond a point silence is construed as a sign of acceptance. I don't even meet new actors, musicians or lyricists. I've already decided whom to work with in my next project. And why go to Pakistan to get actors? We've very talented people in our own country.

Q. There were reports that some actors, including Ranbir Kapoor, didn't want to work with you?
A. People are writing tragic tales about me every day. They are even deciding what film I'm making and also casting actresses in them... Maybe stories about me sell. But when the misrepresentations go beyond my tolerance, it's time to speak up. The truth is Ranbir and Sonam would be there for me whenever I need them. However, at the moment I'm making a film with Hrithik and Aishwarya.

Q. What prompted you to sign Hrithik?
A. Hrithik and I wanted to work together for a very long time. I've always been impressed by his sincerity as an actor. I was waiting for the right opportunity to sign him. Working with Hrithik would be a new and rewarding experience.

Q. You and Aishwarya created magic in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas. Time for a hattrick?
A. Aishwarya is very special to me. She suits the role in my new film to perfection. When she read the script she was deeply moved. Of course the true friend that she is, she told me she would've agreed to work with me even if I didn't send her the script.

Q. Will this Hrithik-Aishwarya film be your first for an international market in English?
A. But Black was also in English. It's important for me to make my films for our market. But we must take our cinema to the remotest corner of the world. Today the spoken language is no barrier. The spoken language in our country is as much Hindi as English. I want to capture that feeling of everyday conversations.

Q. 2008 was a great year for you. It was the year when an Indian director was invited for the first time to direct an opera in Paris.
A. Yes, I had a wonderful time. I loved directing the opera. It was an exceptional honour and an unforgettable experience. I managed to write the script that I wanted to and got the cast I wanted. It's been a year of hard and fruitful work. And 2009 will mean even harder work.

Italians salute Padmavati and Bhansali's mastery

nishtha — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:05:11 +0530

The Italians, past masters at staging and appreciating operas, gave Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati a standing ovation when it was staged in Spoleto, Italy.

Padmavati, Bhansali's version of a 1923 ballet written by Albert Roussel, had its first performance in Italy in June end.

"This was a much smaller, far more intimate theatre than the one in Paris, which was huge. So we had far more limited space on stage and a much more compact audience," said Bhansali.

The audience in Paris too had accorded Bhansali a standing ovation.

"Also, the cast from Paris was changed. So I had to start in Spoleto from scratch, get familiar with the new environment and the cast," he added.

The 1,800-strong audience gave the opera a standing ovation and shouted Bravo bravo.

Apart from Padmavati, Bhansali's four films - Khamoshi, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Black and Saawariya - were screened there.

While a sizeable part of the Parisian crew changed in Italy, the elephant and tiger that formed a part of the opera in Paris remained the same.

And the elephant, surprisingly recognised Bhansali - so much so that during the rehearsals leading up to the first performance on June 27, the animal followed the director's instructions with complete sicererity.

The tiger was harder to deal with. Since it made its appearance in the Parisian version of Padmavati, the tiger had grown bigger and quite intimidating to the chorus dancers who ran to the other end of the stage during rehearsals each time the tiger roared.

"To bring an opera to a country where this genre originated is to me a matter of great pride. I feel more challenged here than I did in Paris. Everyone, who attended my two shows on June 27 and 29, were seasoned opera aficionados. I couldn't afford to slip up."

Now, Spoleto has become Bhansali's favourite spot in the world.

"The quaint little streets, the fresh air, the fruits and milk... I could just move to Spoleto right now. I think I've created one more star in the elephant, Baby. She too got a standing ovation."

The opera now moves to Brazil at the end of the year.

Sanjay Bhansali's opera now goes to Italy

nishtha — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:13:35 +0530

After wowing Paris, celebrated Bollywood director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's opera Padmavati now goes to Italy and the director is nervous.

Padmavati opens in Italy on June 27 at the prestigious Italian Festival in Spoleto at the Umbrian hills near Rome. A handpicked retrospective of Bhansali's films will also be screened.

Talking about his anxiety, Bhansali said: "I'm even more apprehensive and nervous about this second season in a different country. The first staging was in Paris and since the language of the opera was French, the bridges of communication between the audience and me were far easier to cross.

"But now I wonder how the Italians, who are known to be extra-passionate about their opera, are going to react to a French opera directed by an Indian."

Bhansali's adaptation of Albert Rousell's opera Padmavati was staged to a sold-out audience at the posh Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.

The cast and crew and sense and sensibility of the opera remain unchanged as it travels from France to Italy.

"I remain myself wherever I'll go with the opera," said Bhansali. "When I was in Paris, I walked alone by the Seine in my kurta listening to the songs of Lataji (Mangeshkar). I'll do the same in Italy.

"It's important to carry a portion of your personality and culture wherever you go. If you try to assimilate an alien culture you get lost in transition."

What makes the operatic journey in Italy exciting for Bhansali is that a retrospective of his films is being held.

"They're screening four of my films - Devdas, Black, Saawariya and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Then there'll be four performances of the opera."

Bhansali leaves for Italy on June 20. "I hope to take the opera to many other countries. It's my way of connecting Bollywood with different cultures all over the world."

Bhansali peeved at rumours about next film

nishtha — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:04:30 +0530

Premature reports on his next project have director Sanjay Bhansali flabbergasted and irked.
"It isn't ethical or healthy to announce projects on my behalf, and that too naming the actors in the cast," Bhansali, who has just returned from Paris after directing "Padmavati", said.

After his last film "Saawariya", the director went to do his first opera "Padmavati" for prestigious Theatre du Chatelet. At the moment he is far away from deciding what he wants to direct next.

"I've just returned from Paris after directing the opera. I'm physically and creatively exhausted. My next film is not happening so soon. I haven't even been able to decide what I want to do next. Where's the question of deciding the actors?"

Bhansali, however, has several ideas on the anvil.

"At the moment all I'm certain about is that I'll make exactly what my heart tells me to," said the director who made films like "Devdas" and "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam".

I'm hungry for more operas: Bhansali

nishtha — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:34:53 +0530

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is just back in Mumbai after four exhilarating performances of the opera "Padmavati" in Paris, says the experience of directing it was stimulating.

"The only opera I had seen before this was at the Opera House in Mumbai. I had never gone to an opera, never knew there was an operatic influence within me. Now I'm hungry for more," Bhansali said.

After two consecutive performances of "Padmavati" at the posh Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris, Bhansali is clearly the toast of France.

The reviews in all the major French papers - La Republica, Le Monde and Les Echoes - have hailed Bhansali's opera as an unqualified triumph.

Yet a section of his colleagues in Mumbai continue to believe Bhansali's stunning sojourn in Paris to be an extension of his overseas journey that began after his latest movie "Saawariya", which was panned by critics and audience alike.

Such is the response to the opera that it now goes to Italy and other European countries.

Exhilarated by the response Bhansali, who made his mark on Indian celluloid with "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" and later cemented it with "Devdas", shrugs off critics in Mumbai.

"It's rather sad that some people would rather pull down what is an honour for India than celebrate our triumph. I was nervous and apprehensive about the first performance. Now after the second performance, I'm far more confident. Yes, it works."

Bhansali's ultimate destination for "Padmavati" is Chittorgarh, the Rajasthani hamlet where Albert Rousell's opera is set. He dreams of staging the opera live in the real sand with real elephants and camels.

At the first performance itself one could hear loud gasps and sighs at the immensity, scope and opulence of Bhansali's love tale as it unravelled on stage in unparalleled operatic style.

Wrote Amit Roy in The Telegraph, "The premiere of the Indo-French opera Padmavati had ended to rousing and sustained cheers of 'Bravo bravo!' from the 2,500-strong audience at the Theatre du Chatelet."

"The second performance last week went even better, with audiences hooked to the thunderous tale of Padmavati's undying passion for the commoner Ratan Sen. With the third and fourth performance Paris was hooked."

"It's a triumph for all of us - Tanushree Shankar, who has done the choreography, Omang Kumar, who has done the art work, and Rajesh Pratap Singh who has done the clothes. And the French team is so brilliant we couldn't have gone wrong," Bhansali said.