Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Gujarati: [ˈsəndʒeː ˈlilɑː ˈbʱəɳsɑliː]; born 24 February 1963) is a Bollywood director, producer, screenwriter, and music director. One of the most acclaimed filmmakers in Hindi cinema, Bhansali is the recipient of several awards, including five National Film Awards, eleven Filmfare Awards and a BAFTA nomination.[1] In 2015, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Bhansali at an X Factor Event in 2011
Born (1963-02-24) 24 February 1963
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
NationalityIndian
OccupationFilm maker, Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Editor, Music Director
AwardsFull list
HonoursPadma Shri (2015)
Signature

Bhansali made his directorial debut with Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), for which he received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film. He rose to prominence in Hindi-language cinema with the commercially successful romantic drama Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), the epic romantic drama Devdas (2002) — for which he received a nomination for the Best Film Not in the English Language[1] at British Academy of Film & Television Awards (BAFTA) — and the drama Black (2005), for all of which he received multiple Best Director Awards and Best Film Awards along with additional Critics Award for Best Film for the latter at Filmfare Awards, and multiple National Film Awards for the latter two. He followed it by directing consecutive commercially unsuccessful films such as Saawariya (2007) and Guzaarish (2010), however, Guzaarish received positive reviews from critics and audiences.

This changed with his adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet — the tragic romance Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013) — opened to positive reviews and strong box office collections, for which he received several awards and nominations. His home production biographical sports film Mary Kom (2014), had him receive his third National Film Award. His period dramas Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Padmaavat (2018) both rank among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. For the former, he won the National Film Award for Best Direction, as well as Filmfare Awards for Best Director and Best Film; and for the latter, he won National Film Award for Best Music Direction and Filmfare Award for Best Music Director.

He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India.[2] He is the founder of the production house Bhansali Productions. Bhansali has adopted the middle name "Leela" as a tribute to his mother.

Personal life

Sanjay Leela Bhansali was born in Bhuleshwar, South Mumbai to a Gujarati Baniya family.[3] His mother, Leela used to sew clothes to make ends meet.[4] He speaks Gujarati at home and loves Gujarati food, music, literature and architecture.[3].[5]

Career
Bhansali with Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone during the trailer launch of Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela in 2013

Bhansali began his career as an assistant to Vidhu Vinod Chopra and was involved in the making of Parinda, 1942: A Love Story and Kareeb. However, they had a falling-out when Bhansali refused to direct Kareeb. In 1996, he made his directorial debut with Khamoshi: The Musical, the commercially unsuccessful but critically acclaimed narration of a daughter's struggle to communicate with her deaf-mute parents.[6] The film earned the Critics Award for Best film at Filmfare. He rose to prominence in Indian cinema with a triangular love story, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, starring Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan, and Ajay Devgan, which established his individualistic stamp for visual splendour and creating auras of celebration and festivity. The film was premiered in the Indian Panorama section at the 1999 International Film Festival of India. It was a great commercial and critical success, and won numerous awards including four National Awards and nine Filmfare Awards.[7]

His next film, Devdas, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit, was Bhansali's ode to the novel of the same name, which became the highest-grossing film of 2002.[8] The film also received unanimous acclaim from the critics and won all the major accolades at Filmfare, emerging as the most awarded film in Filmfare, (tied with the 1995 Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge). At the 50th National Film Awards, it won five awards including Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It received a nomination for the Best Foreign Film at the British Academy of Film & Television Awards (BAFTA).[9] It was India's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film was also screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.[10] It stood eighth in Time magazine's "The 10 Greatest Movies of the Millennium (Thus Far)".[11] His next film, Black, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji, broke his own all-time record of Devdas by garnering eleven awards, the highest number of awards ever given to a single film at Filmfare. It stood fifth in Time (Europe)'s "10 Best Movies of the Year 2005" among films from across the world.[12] At 53rd National Film Awards, he received his second National award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas and Black earned him multiple Best Director and Best Film Awards at Filmfare, the latter also received additional Critics Award for Best Film. In 2006, Bhansali participated as a judge on reality TV show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa alongside Farah Khan and Shilpa Shetty.[13]

Bhansali's next film Saawariya (released in 2007) was met with sharp criticism and poor collections at the box office.[14] In 2008, Bhansali staged the opera Padmavati, an adaption of the 1923 ballet written by Albert Roussel.[15][16] The show premiered in Paris at the prestigious Théâtre du Châtelet and next at the Festival dei Due Mondi, where it received "fifteen minutes of standing ovation and seven curtain calls at the end of the first show."[17][18] Bhansali received many positive comments from international critics for his work.[19] In 2010, Bhansali released Guzaarish, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, in which he also made his debut in music direction.[20] The film received positive to mixed reviews from critics, but could not perform well at the box office. Guzaarish earned him a Best Director nomination at Filmfare. In 2011, he became a judge on the Indian music talent show X Factor India Season 1.[13] The same year, he also produced the musical comedy film My Friend Pinto, which also received mixed reviews and tanked at the box office. In 2012, Bhansali produced Rowdy Rathore, a remake of the Telugu film Vikramarkudu, starring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha and directed by Prabhu Deva. The film received mixed reviews from critics and became a major commercial success, Box Office India labelled it as a blockbuster film.[21] The following year, he produced Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi which also received mixed reviews, but could not perform well at the box office.

The President, Pranab Mukherjee, presenting the Padma Shri Award to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, at a Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on 30 March 2015.

In 2013, Bhansali directed Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles. Some religious groups opposed the movie claiming that the former title Ramleela was misleading, because the movie had nothing to do with Ramlila, the traditional enactment of the life and story of Hindu deity, Lord Rama. The film's release had been stayed by Delhi High Court due to the controversy over its title, claiming that the movie hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. Later the film's title was changed to Goliyon ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, and eventually released in India as scheduled. However, after a week of release, Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court banned the movie's release in Uttar Pradesh.[22] Despite the controversy and limited release, the film opened to critical acclaim and strong box office collections worldwide, ultimately earning ₹2.02 billion (US$31 million) and emerging as the fifth highest-grossing film of 2013. The film garnered several award nominations for Bhansali including Best Film and Best Director nominations at Filmfare. The same year, Bhansali debuted in television with the show Saraswatichandra, starring Gautam Rode and Jennifer Winget, which he later left after few episodes.

The following year, he produced the biographical sports film Mary Kom starring Priyanka Chopra, which premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, becoming the first Hindi film to be screened on the opening night of the festival. The film became both a commercial and critical success and received various accolades along with Best Film nomination at Filmfare. At 62nd National Film Awards, Bhansali received another National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for the film. In 2015, he the produced action drama film Gabbar Is Back starring Akshay Kumar, which also emerged as a commercial success with positive reviews from the critics. Bhansali's next directorial venture was his dream project, the period romance Bajirao Mastani (2015), based on the love story between Peshwa Baji Rao I and his second wife Mastani. Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone played the title roles, while Priyanka Chopra played Bajirao's first wife Kashibai. The film was announced in 2003 and was constantly in the news regarding the cast, including such actors as Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji.[23] The descendants of Bajirao I and Mastani expressed their disapproval of this film, claiming excessive creative liberty by Bhansali causing wrongful portrayal of their ancestors.[24] A petition was filed in Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the film, but the High Court refused to interfere with its release.[25] It received tremendous critical acclaim across the world and was listed among the best films of 2015 by several sources.[26][27][28] Despite the controversy, the film emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.[29] The film received many accolades at various award ceremonies in India. At the 63rd National Film Awards, Bajirao Mastani won seven awards and Bhansali won the National Award for Best Director.[30] The film was featured at the 2016 Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India. Bajirao Mastani was selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the 74th Golden Globe Awards.[31] The following year, he produced the Marathi film Laal Ishq.

Bhansali directed period drama film Padmaavat, jointly produced by him and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, and also written by him. The film features Deepika Padukone in the title role as Rani Padmini, alongside Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in the title roles of Rawal Ratan Singh and Alauddin Khalji respectively. During the shooting of the film in January 2017 in Jaipur, the members of Shri Rajput Karni Sena protested at the sets at Jaigarh Fort, physically attacked Bhansali and his crew members, alleging that he misrepresented historical facts and depicted them erroneously in the film, and also tried to vandalise the sets.[32][33] On 6 March 2017, members of Shri Rajput Karni Sena vandalised the Chittor Fort again and broke the mirrors installed in the palace of Rani Padmini.[34] On 15 March 2017, a group of unidentified vandals again attacked and set fire to the sets of this movie in Kolhapur which led to the production set, costumes and jewelleries being burnt.[35] The film earned 30 million dollars in the first four days after its release.

Filmography

Films
Denotes Upcoming films
Year Film Director Producer Writer Editor Music Director Assistant Director Notes
1989 Parinda Yes
1994 1942: A Love Story Yes
1996 Khamoshi: The Musical Yes Yes Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film
1999 Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam Yes Yes Yes Filmfare Award for Best Film
Filmfare Award for Best Director
2002 Devdas Yes National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
Filmfare Award for Best Film
Filmfare Award for Best Director
2005 Black Yes Yes National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi
Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film
Filmfare Award for Best Film
Filmfare Award for Best Director
2007 Saawariya Yes Yes Yes
2010 Guzaarish Yes Yes Yes Yes Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
2011 My Friend Pinto Yes
2012 Rowdy Rathore Yes
Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi Yes Yes
2013 Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Music Director
2014 Mary Kom Yes National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
2015 Gabbar Is Back Yes
Bajirao Mastani Yes Yes Yes National Film Award for Best Direction
Filmfare Award for Best Director
Filmfare Award for Best Film
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Music Director
2018 Padmaavat Yes Yes Yes Yes National Film Award for Best Music Direction

Filmfare Award for Best Music Director
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film

2019 Malaal Yes Yes
2020 Gangubai Kathiawadi Yes Yes Yes

Frequent Actor Collaborations as Director
Collaborated as Lead Actor/Actress in the film
Actor(s) Khamoshi
(1996)		 Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
(1999)		 Devdas
(2002)		 Black
(2005)		 Saawariya
(2007)		 Guzaarish
(2010)		 Ram-Leela
(2013)		 Bajirao Mastani
(2015)		 Padmaavat
(2018)		 Total
Aishwarya Rai


3
Deepika Padukone


3
Helen 2
Priyanka Chopra 2
Rani Mukerji
2
Ranveer Singh


3
Raza Murad 3
Salman Khan

3
Shernaz Patel 2
Vijay Crishna 2
Zohra Sehgal 2
Shreya Ghoshal 5

Television

Stage
  • Stage Opera Padmavati (Director) – 2008[36][37]

Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
gollark: I'd assume that the issue is that the internet is *very big*, and monetizing by advertising is the most practical way to fund the large amounts of stuff you need to deal with that.
gollark: It's a competitor.
gollark: ... Bing?
gollark: I wanted to use it but annoying dependency things of some kind.
gollark: I've seen at least one.

References
  1. "Film in 2003 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. Verma, Sukanya (6 November 2007). "OSO-Saawariya rivalry: May the best director win". Rediff.com. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  3. Priya Gupta (12 November 2013). "When I am not being watched, I too am a loud Gujarati: Sanjay Leela Bhansali". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  4. "The truth about Sanjay Leela Bhansali". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  5. TNN (9 April 2015). "Jains steal the show with 7 Padmas". The Times of India. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  6. "Khamoshi (Silence: The Musical) Review". Channel 4. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
  7. "Box Office 1999". BoxOfficeIndia.Com. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  8. "Box Office 2002". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  9. "Devdas nominated for best foreign film at Bafta - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  10. "DEVDAS - Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  11. "The 10 Great Movies of the Millennium (Thus Far)". Time.com. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  12. ""Black" selected amongst 10 of the best films of 2005 by Time magazine". 30 December 2005. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008.
  13. "Sanjay Leela Bhansali gets into TV soaps". The Times Of India.
  14. "Box Office 2007". BoxOfficeIndia. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  15. Ians, Momabi (16 March 2011). "Bhansali not adapting Padmavati opera in movie". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015.
  16. "Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming historical movie 'Padmavati' is all set for a trial by fire". Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  17. Roy, Amit (29 June 2008). "Indian opera goes to Italy". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India.
  18. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. "Devdas' experience helped Bhansali with 'Padmavati". Reuters. 17 March 2008.
  20. "Roshan Raahein". 6 May 2014. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012.
  21. "Rowdy Rathore - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  22. "Allahabad high court bans 'Goliyon ki raasleela Ram-Leela' in UP - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  23. "Kareena's Plum Assignments". Bollywood Hungama. 1 July 2003. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  24. "Bajirao and Mastani's descendants blast Sanjay Leela Bhansali, term him irresponsible for 'vulgar portrayal' of Bajirao, Kashibai and Mastani". The Indian Express. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  25. "Bajirao Mastani: Bombay HC okays release of film over petition seeking stay". The Indian Express. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  26. First Post. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  27. http://www.huffingtonpost.in%2Famit-nangia-%2F2015-bollywood-cine-retro_b_8897806.html&usg=AFQjCNF_HojisMHje-0ctbI0GcSLwSToZw Archived 10 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Huffington Post. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  28. http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fhindi%2Fbollywood%2Fnews%2FMust-watch-Bollywood-movies-of-2015%2Farticleshow%2F50350065.cms&usg=AFQjCNHTsTUZkD5bFTsS_aJvvkeP2cuw3A The Times of India. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  29. "Box Office: Worldwide Collections of Bajirao Mastani". Bollywood Hungama. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  30. "63rd National Film Awards: List of winners". The Times of India. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  31. "Bajirao Mastani (India)". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  32. Ramnath, Nandini. "Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming historical movie 'Padmavati' is all set for a trial by fire". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  33. "Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmavati' shooting stalled by Rajput group in Jaipur - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  34. "Karni Sena vandalises Chittorgarh Fort, breaks mirrors in the palace of Rani Padmini". Hindustan Times. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  35. "Padmavati row intensifies: Film set burnt in Kolhapur, to get 24 hour security". Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  36. "Bhansali happy with 'baby' – The Times of India". The Times Of India. 1 July 2008.
  37. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.