вЂњThink of Hridaynath MangeshkarвЂ™s Mira bhajans. Kishori Amonkar is another of his idols and he has used her renditions in Raag Bhoopali as an inspiration for Albela Sajan in Bajirao. Or, how Kumar Gandharva touched your soul so powerfully?вЂќ вЂњThere is no such thing as human perfection, and yet when you hear Lata ji sing, you wonder how she sang that song so beautifully, so perfectly. вЂњMy soul needs music all the time,вЂќ says Bhansali, who considers Kumar Gandharva and Lata Mangeshkar as his deepest influences. His love for music too goes back to his childhood, when he and his sister, Bela, would turn on the radio and their mom would break into an impromptu jig for them or when she would sing while cooking. вЂњ Devdas started off when my father diedвЂ¦ he was an alcoholic and died of cirrhosis.вЂќ вЂњI live with a huge past in my head,вЂќ said Bhansali on Rendezvous. Scratch the surface of his films and layers of his personal life emerge from within the stories. вЂњIt was a difficult time for him, but he realised that maybe melancholy is not something that the Indian audiences take happily to,вЂќ says Maxima Basu, the costume designer for Ram-Leela and Bajirao Mastani. But I needed to work with them again most importantly because I hadnвЂ™t finished saying what I wanted to through them,вЂќ he says.Д«hansali has had his share of commercial failures, like Saawariya and Guzaarish, and they affected him deeply.

вЂњRanveer, Deepika or Aishwarya are all very important to me. вЂњMost often, we just have to look at each other to understand what the other is trying to communicate.вЂќДЇor Bhansali, these repeated collaborations donвЂ™t stem from a need to stay in the comfort zone. It was like coming back home,вЂќ says Padukone. But with Bajirao, there was a sense of trust and comfort. вЂњDuring Ram-Leela, we were getting to know each other, figuring out each otherвЂ™s style of working. It is this passion that has prompted actors like Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Aishwarya Rai to collaborate with him over and over again. He feels that the cast and crew need to see that love and commitment from the director in order to feel the same themselves. I am trying to pursue excellence,вЂќ he says. вЂњYou will get only one chance to make that particular film during your lifetime.

Sometimes you want to give up, but he doesnвЂ™t give up and in the end, you start discovering new things about yourself - creatively and personally.вЂќДЇor Bhansali, each film is to be lived. вЂњHe pushes you to a limit where sometimes you feel like you canвЂ™t do it. вЂњHe is one of the most intense directors that I have worked with,вЂќ says Deepika Padukone, who played Mastani in Bajirao Mastani and Leela in Ram-Leela. Like every film he has made, Bajirao Mastani too was an all-consuming experience, both for him and for his cast and crew. вЂњSometimes the cast wouldnвЂ™t come together sometimes I wasnвЂ™t in a position at the box office to make this film.

How you constructed a scene 20 years ago would no longer be relevant today.вЂќ So, he improvised, added to or deleted from the script, but stuck with it even when things refused to fall into place. вЂњOne had to see how the narrative of drama would change with time. вЂњI took the film out every two years and made changes or corrections,вЂќ he says. This is a film he nurtured in his head for over two decades, even as he went about directing others. Now his latest film, Bajirao Mastani, has bagged seven awards at the 63rd National Awards, including one for the best director. In 2008, he became the only film maker from India to be invited to ParisвЂ™s Theatre du Chatelet to direct an opera, Padmavati. The years that have followed have revealed the many shades of Bhansali - be it as a screenwriter, producer, film maker, a trained Odissi dancer or music composer. Considered his landmark film, Devdas affirmed his signature narrative style of using set designs, costumes and music to carry the story forward instead of using them as mere props.

A simple guy with a complex mind,вЂќ is how Sanjay Leela Bhansali was described by Simi Garewal on her show, Rendezvous, in 2002, soon after the release of Devdas.

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