Sanjay Leela Bhansali | |
|---|---|
 Bhansali in 2021 | |
| Born | (1963-02-24)24 February 1963 (age 62) Bombay,Maharashtra, India |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
| Relatives | Sharmin Segal (niece) |
| Awards | Full list |
| Honours | Padma Shri (2015) |
| Signature | |
 | |
Sanjay Navin Bhansali[a] (born 24 February 1963), professionally known asSanjay Leela Bhansali,[b] is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and music composer, who works inHindi cinema.[4] He is the recipient ofseveral awards, including sevenNational Film Awards and thirteenFilmfare Awards, in addition to aBAFTA Award nomination.[5] In 2015, theGovernment of India honoured him with thePadma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award. Bhansali is best known for his use of aesthetics and musical vision, particularly inperiod dramas.
Bhansali made his directorial debut with the romantic musicalKhamoshi: The Musical (1996). He gained both mainstream and critical success with the romantic dramasHum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) andDevdas (2002), the latter of which won theNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and was nominated for theBAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.[5] He won theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for directing the dramaBlack (2005). His subsequent releasesSaawariya (2007) andGuzaarish (2010) were box-office flops. The latter film marked his debut as a music composer. He also began producing under his banner Bhansali Productions.[6]
Bhansali reinforced his status with the romantic tragedyGoliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013), and top-grossing period dramasBajirao Mastani (2015) andPadmaavat (2018). He won theNational Film Award for Best Direction forBajirao Mastani and theNational Film Award for Best Music Direction forPadmaavat. He has since directed the biopicGangubai Kathiawadi (2022), winning further National and Filmfare Awards.[7][8] In 2024, Bhansali launched his own music label, named Bhansali Music, and went on to create and direct the period drama seriesHeeramandi.[9]
Bhansali was born on 24 February 1963 inBhuleshwar,South Bombay into aGujarati-Jain family.[10][11] His father, Navin, was a film producer, but due to financial setbacks, he turned toalcoholism. As a result, his mother, Leela, sewed clothes to make ends meet[12] and Navin died ofcirrhosis.[13] Bhansali adopted his mother's name as his middle name instead of his father's.[14] He has paid tribute to his father in many of his films. InHum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Sameer's tendency of speaking to his deceased father while looking at the sky is believed to be inspired by a similar habit that Bhansali had during his childhood.[15] His alcoholism inspriedDevdas (2002),[16] including the funeral scene.[3] InGangubai Kathiawadi (2022), a poster of his father's film,Jahazi Lutera (1957), can be seen in the background.[17] Bhansali studied editing atFilm and Television Institute of India.[18] His sister, Bela Bhansali Segal, has directedShirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi (2012), for which he wrote the script, while Bela's daughter,Sharmin Segal,[19] made her debut as an actress under his productionMalaal (2019), for which he also served as fellow writer and composer. Bhansali speaksGujarati at home and loves Gujaratifood,music,literature and architecture.[10][11] He is trained inOdissi.[18][20]
Bhansali began his career as an assistant toVidhu Vinod Chopra and was involved in the making ofParinda (1989) as an assistant director,1942: A Love Story (1994) as a writer and assistant choreographer andKareeb (1998). However, they had a falling-out when Bhansali refused to directKareeb. In 1996, he made his directorial debut withKhamoshi: The Musical, the commercially unsuccessful but critically acclaimed film about a daughter's struggle to communicate with her deaf-mute parents.[21] The film earned 5 Filmfare Awards, including theFilmfare Award for Best Film (Critics).
He rose to prominence in Indian cinema with the musical love triangleHum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), starringAishwarya Rai,Salman Khan, andAjay Devgn, 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 1999International Film Festival of India. It was a critical and commercial success, and won numerous awards including 4National Film Awards and 8Filmfare Awards.[22]
His next film, the period romantic dramaDevdas (2002), starringShah Rukh Khan,Aishwarya Rai andMadhuri Dixit, was Bhansali's ode to the novelof the same name, which became the highest-grossing film of the year.[23] The film also earned widespread critical acclaim and won 10 awards at Filmfare, emerging as the most-awarded film in Filmfare at the time (tying withDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)). At the50th National Film Awards, it won 5 awards includingBest Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It received a nomination for theBest Foreign Film at theBritish Academy of Film & Television Awards (BAFTA).[24] It wasIndia's submission for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film was also screened at the2002 Cannes Film Festival.[25] It stood eighth inTime magazine's "The 10 Greatest Movies of the Millennium (Thus Far)".[26]
His next film,Black, starringAmitabh Bachchan andRani Mukerji, broke his own all-time record ofDevdas by garnering 11 awards, the highest number of awards ever given to a single film at Filmfare. It stood fifth inTime (Europe)'s "10 Best Movies of the Year 2005" among films from across the world.[27] At the53rd National Film Awards, he received his second National Award forBest Feature Film in Hindi.Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,Devdas andBlack earned him multiple Best Film and Best Director awards at Filmfare, the latter also received additional Best Film (Critics) award. In 2006, Bhansali participated as a judge on reality TV showJhalak Dikhhla Jaa alongsideFarah Khan andShilpa Shetty.[28]
Bhansali's next film, the musical romanceSaawariya (2007) was met with mixed reviews and poor collections at the box office.[29] In 2008, Bhansali staged the operaPadmavati, an adaptation of the 1923 ballet written byAlbert Roussel.[30][31] The show premiered inParis at the prestigiousThéâtre du Châtelet and next at theFestival dei Due Mondi, where it received "fifteen minutes of standing ovation and seven curtain calls at the end of the first show."[32][33] Bhansali received highly positive reviews from international critics for his work.[34] In 2010, Bhansali releasedGuzaarish, starringHrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, in which he also made his debut in music direction.[35] The film received positive reviews from critics, and was an above average performer at the box office.Guzaarish earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. In 2011, he became a judge on the Indian music talent showX Factor India Season 1.[28] The same year, he also produced the musical comedyMy Friend Pinto, which received negative reviews and tanked at the box office. In 2012, Bhansali producedRowdy Rathore, a remake of theTelugu filmVikramarkudu, starringAkshay Kumar andSonakshi Sinha and directed byPrabhu Deva. The film received mixed reviews from critics and became a major commercial success, withBox Office India labelling it as a blockbuster.[36] The following year, he produced the romantic comedyShirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, which also received positive reviews, but could not perform well at the box office.
In 2013, Bhansali directed the tragic romanceGoliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, an adaptation ofShakespeare'sRomeo and Juliet, starringDeepika Padukone andRanveer Singh. Some religious groups opposed the film claiming that the former titleRamleela was misleading, because the movie had nothing to do withRamlila, the traditional enactment of the life and story of Hindu deity,Lord Rama. The film's release had been stayed byDelhi 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 toGoliyon Ki Raasleela 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 inUttar Pradesh.[37] 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 showSaraswatichandra, starringGautam Rode andJennifer Winget, which he later left after few episodes.
The following year, he produced the biographical sports filmMary Kom starringPriyanka Chopra, which premiered at the2014 Toronto International Film Festival, becoming the first Hindi film to be screened on the opening night of the festival. The film became both a critical and commercial success and received various accolades including a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Film. At the62nd National Film Awards, Bhansali received another National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for the film. In 2015, he produced the action dramaGabbar Is Back starring Akshay Kumar, which also emerged as a commercial success and received positive reviews from critics.
Bhansali's next directorial venture was his dream project, the period romantic dramaBajirao Mastani (2015), based on the love story betweenPeshwaBaji Rao I and his second wifeMastani. 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 actors such asSalman Khan,Shah Rukh Khan,Aishwarya Rai Bachchan,Kareena Kapoor andRani Mukerji.[38] 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.[39] A petition was filed in Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the film, but the High Court refused to interfere with its release.[40] It received widespread critical acclaim worldwide and was listed among the best films of 2015 by several sources.[41][42][43] Despite the controversy, the film emerged as one of thehighest-grossing Indian films of all time.[44] The film received numerousaccolades at various award ceremonies in India. At the63rd National Film Awards,Bajirao Mastani won 7 awards and Bhansali won the National Award for Best Director, in addition to winning Best Film and Best Director at Filmfare.[45] The film was featured at the 2016Indian Panorama section of theInternational Film Festival of India.Bajirao Mastani was selected as India's official entry for theBest Foreign Language Film for the74th Golden Globe Awards.[46] The following year, he produced the Marathi filmLaal Ishq.
Bhansali directed theperiod drama filmPadmaavat (2018),[47] jointly produced by him andViacom 18 Motion Pictures, and also written by him. The film stars Deepika Padukone in the title role asRani Padmini, alongsideShahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in the title roles ofRawal Ratan Singh andAlauddin Khalji respectively. During the shooting of the film in January 2017 inJaipur, the members ofShri Rajput Karni Sena protested at the sets atJaigarh 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.[48][49][47] On 6 March 2017, members of Shri Rajput Karni Sena vandalised theChittor Fort again and broke the mirrors installed in the palace of Rani Padmini.[50] 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.[51] The film earned Rs. 1.43 billion rupees in the first six days after its release.[52]Padmaavat emerged as the highest-grossing film of the year, and received widespread critical acclaim, and earned Bhansali theNational Film Award for Best Music Direction and theFilmfare Award for Best Music Director, in addition to Best Film and Best Director nominations at Filmfare.
In 2022, Bhansali directedGangubai Kathiawadi, a biographical crime drama based on a chapter ofHussain Zaidi's bookMafia Queens of Mumbai.[53] The film aboutGangubai Kothewali, starsAlia Bhatt as Gangubai, and was scheduled for release on 30 July 2021, but was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[54][55] The film eventually released in February 2022 to earned widespread critical acclaim, and won a leading 11Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Director wins for Bhansali,[4] and fiveNational Film Awards including Best Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay wins for Bhansali.
In March 2023, Bhansali launched his music label, Bhansali Music, alongside the release of the soundtrack of theNetflix seriesHeeramandi, on which he served as creator, director, and music composer.[56] The series had an ensemble cast led byManisha Koirala and Sonakshi Sinha. It had strong viewership on the platform, and has been renewed for a second season.[57]
Bhansali will next directRanbir Kapoor,Alia Bhatt, andVicky Kaushal in the romantic drama filmLove & War, which is scheduled for release in 2026.[58]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Composer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Parinda | Assistant | No | No | No | No | |
| 1994 | 1942: A Love Story | No | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 1996 | Khamoshi: The Musical | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 1999 | Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| 2002 | Devdas | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
| 2005 | Black | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| 2007 | Saawariya | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 2010 | Guzaarish | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2011 | My Friend Pinto | No | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 2012 | Rowdy Rathore | No | No | Yes | No | No | |
| Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2013 | Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014 | Mary Kom | Creative | No | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2015 | Gabbar Is Back | No | No | Yes | No | No | |
| Bajirao Mastani | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| 2016 | Laal Ishq | No | No | Yes | No | No | Marathi film |
| 2018 | Padmaavat | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2019 | Malaal | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2021 | Tuesdays and Fridays | No | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 2022 | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2026 | Do Deewane Seher Mein | ||||||
| Love & War † | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Filming[59] |
| Year | Title | Creator | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Composer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–1989 | Bharat Ek Khoj | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
| 2013–2014 | Saraswatichandra | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | 403 episodes |
| 2024 | Heeramandi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 episodes |
| Year | Title | Judge | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 1[broken anchor] | Yes | [60] |
| 2011 | X Factor India | Yes | [61] |
| Year | Title | Director | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Padmâvatî | Yes | [62][63] |
The movie garnered critical and commercial acclaim post its release.
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