Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali just recently delivered a global success in the form of Heeramandi on Netflix, which was also the filmmaker’s debut in the streaming world. Over the years, Bhansali continues to be known and loved for his films and has now carved a legacy that just keeps adding more and more highlights to it.
The director is also known to not mince his words and express his thoughts about several topics. Recently in an interview with India Today, Bhansali went on to talk about an array of things that ranged from working with spontaneity, casting because of acting chops and getting rid of the star system in the industry.
Bhansali mentioned that his casting process is very instinctive, spontaneous, and intuitive. He explained that he doesn’t overanalyze things too much. If he happens to see Shantanu Maheshwari walk into the office for ‘Gangubai’, he immediately thinks, ‘Yeah, he’s the one.’ Bhansali recalled that Maheshwari was part of a dance show that his mother was watching. When he went to meet his mother before heading to the office, she pointed out, “See this boy is dancing very well. You should cast him somewhere.”
He said yes, and how a similar thing happened with Shreya Ghoshal as well where his mother was watching a show and she was extraordinary. Then after a few months, he called her and asked her to singh for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Devdas.
Talking about the recent find of Taha, he said, how the same happened with Taha [Shah Badussha]. He came for some role. He sat there and I said, ‘You’re Tajdar.’ In that one moment, you have to know that it has to be Sonakshi Sinha. There cannot be another Fareedan. There cannot be another Mallikajaan. A lot of people asked, ‘Don’t you think we need bigger stars? I said no, these are fantastic actors.
Finally, talking about the star system in the industry, he expressed that he required actors and emphasized the importance of having very good actors in the industry, suggesting that the star system should be eliminated. He further elaborated that he had collaborated with exceptional actors who also happened to be stars, emphasizing his perspective that what truly mattered to him were the acting abilities of individuals rather than their star status.
Bhansali now has the ambitious mega project, Love & War lined up ahead with a dream star cast that includes Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt & Vicky Kaushal.