Sanjay Bhansali tough as a producer

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known to be a very demanding director, and now that he has turned producer with My Friend Pinto, it has become clear that he isn't the sort of producer who stays away from the sets and allows the director a free hand till the film is complete. It is learnt that after Sanjay saw some rushes of Raghav Dar's My Friend Pinto (a madcap musical comedy), starring Prateik Babbar and Kalki Koechlin, he was unhappy with the way it looked. He decided it was time to make his presence felt on the sets.

According to an insider, "The day he came on the sets, Sanjay didn't like anything, from the set to the choreography and scenes. He changed everything and shot the whole scene from scratch. Raghav has assisted Mani Ratnam before and apparently, this is where the problem starts. Though Sanjay respects the south director's work, his technique and vision are totally different."

Dar denies any conflict with his producer, "Sanjay sir has always been very encouraging. We have completed more than one schedule and almost half the film was done by the time he came on the sets. He was very happy and completely blown away by the work. He did see the choreography (by Longines) and made some suggestions but they were made only in his capacity as a producer. We kept what we liked and didn't use the rest. Sir has given me full creative freedom to express myself the way I want to."

Dar, who has assisted SLB on his opera, Padmavati and was associate director on Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, adds that Bhansali doesn't come to the sets every day. "He comes whenever we are about to shoot to see that everything is in place and to ensure that the set is safe for everybody, especially from fire hazards. Initially, we hadn't made too many safety provisions but now because of Sanjay sir everything is fireproof. He's a very good producer who ensures his team's safety. Besides he is good fun to have on the sets."