Words matter. These are the best Sanjay Leela Bhansali Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
I think suffering has always been an incentive for my creativity.
‘Devdas’ is the first Hindi commercial film to be seen at Cannes. And ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ is getting a whole lot of appreciation abroad. I’m pleased.
When you don’t have to say ‘I love you,’ when you don’t have to prove your love by singing a song, or express it through the body, that’s two souls connecting.
My ‘Devdas’ was a tribute to all the mainstream masters, from Mehboob Khan, K. Asif, and V. Shantaram to Raj Kapoor. I am not saying critics shouldn’t have criticised my film. But they should have judged the film within the genre and format that I had chosen.
The Cannes Film Festival is the biggest, most prestigious film festival in the world. This is where filmmakers are discovered, where futures are made, and the most important films premiered.
There was no fear of failure when I made ‘Bajirao Mastani.’
The media should be ready to cover every event at the Oberois’ residence. If Vivek’s dog has dysentery tomorrow, we should be prepared to hear Vivek talk about it on camera for three hours.
Of course, an Oscar nomination would have added considerably to the film’s business abroad. But it has already made nearly Rs 150 crore. It has done stupendous business overseas. We did a business of Rs 80 crore when we took ‘Devdas’ to Cannes.
I am not popular socially. I am uncomfortable around people.
I am trying to pursue excellence.
I’m petrified of facing the camera. Even to shoot for a photograph is an ordeal. But it’s important to break free of your inhibitions at some point in your life.
Every director, actor, and even producer gets angry on the sets. Why am I the only one being singled out for losing my cool or being talked about vis-a-vis my anger?
A man is not capable of giving the way a woman gives. She is stronger. When a woman sacrifices, it lends her grace and beauty.
If I am aware of my own limitations, then I can work towards overcoming them.
I am not indulgent. I think constructing a scene elaborately – with art, costume, and visual drama – is not indulgence. Other people should do it, too.
You can do a formula film and walk the conventional path, but it may not work at all.
The multiplexes audience has one way of thinking. When they are all sitting together temperamentally, there is room for a filmmaker to reach out to a far larger audience in a comfortable way.
Think of Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s ‘Mira bhajans.’ I have bought these records three to four times, as I listen to them so often.
My mother was my pillar of strength.
Not every work of art connects with the audience.
I have been fascinated by Rani Padmavati from my childhood.
I cannot be casual about my work.
I faced failure with my first film, ‘Khamoshi.’ All of us have our highs and lows, except Lata Mangeshkar.
There is dignity in being a celebrity. Let us not lose that dignity.
My movies are personal notes of my whole life.
I feel it is important to respect contestants on national TV, celebrity or not.
With ‘Guzaarish’ I went through a catharsis.
I have grown up watching films in single screens where people would get up and dance in the aisles. With ‘Rowdy Rathore,’ I want to recreate the same magic.
Bollywood works as hard as regional cinema makers.
Show me one director who does not get angry on their assistant for something that has gone wrong. But it is done out of my love. It’s just fun when I tell them to face a wall and stand or kneel down in a corner. It’s not like I want to punish them harshly. It’s not to humiliate; it is to teach.
I am distressed when I see news channels saying ‘Devdas’ has let down the country by not getting an Oscar nomination.
I am the hardest working director.
As long as what you do reaches out to people, I don’t think there’s any reason to stop yourself from doing anything.
‘Devdas’ isn’t a real film. It isn’t in the same genre as Mira Nair’s ‘Monsoon Wedding,’ where the camera’s presence is so understated it almost disappears.
Friendship and loyalty shouldn’t come in the way of casting.
Every time I read it, I realised ‘Bajirao Mastani’ must be made. It’s such a powerful screenplay.
I love humour, and I can laugh at myself.
The first thing I do after I wake up is switch on the music player and the last thing I do before going to sleep is stop it.
With ‘Bajirao Mastani,’ we have created history.
The first film that I saw of Shammi Kapoor was ‘Bhramachari.’ I instantly fell in love with the film and connected with Shammiji. His style was natural and unique.
One can’t allow oneself to be bullied into abandoning one’s dream.
Life is not only about dark nights; it’s also about beautiful, sunshiny mornings.
It is very difficult for anyone to predict how a film will do. It depends on so many things: the mood of the audience, the state of their mind at the time, how they have reacted to the whole treatment.
The equality of men and women is not possible because both are different. A mountain is a mountain, and a river is a river.
After ‘Saawariya,’ I retreated into a shell.
Though all festivals are important, this Cannes Festival starts off the season.
I gave everything I had to give to ‘Devdas.’ I knew I would never make a better love story because there is none.
Take any movie from ‘Khamoshi’ to ‘Black,’ I was always clear about my subjects.
I write all my scripts with Salman in mind. He understands me perfectly on the sets.
Many people ask me why I chose to remake ‘Devdas.’ I wanted to make a film that celebrated grandeur and grace.
Did Robert De Niro actually look like Al Capone in ‘The Untouchables?’ Or did Van Kilmer look like Jim Morrison in ‘The Doors?’ No. It’s the core, the essence of the personality that matters.
I think caring too much about the economics starts affecting the creative aspect of the film. That is a dangerous process for a filmmaker. He should make his film without having to worry about how much it has cost or how much it will be sold for.
If you take away music from me, I’ll die.
During our childhood, my sister and I had no birthday parties. We would take a packet of sweets to school and distribute it to our class-mates. That was it. We were not allowed to go to parties, either.
My mind was never into school, and education did not matter to me.
