One
of
Indian
cinema's
finest
storytellers
Sanjay
Leela
Bhansali,
clocked
25
years
in
the
industry
on
August
9,
2021.
Known
for
presenting
films
in
a
visually
enchanting
way,
Bhansali
has
give
us
several
memorable
films
over
the
years.
He
has
worked
with
some
of
the
biggest
superstars
like
Shah
Rukh
Khan,
Salman
Khan,
Ajay
Devgn,
Deepika
Padukone,
Ranveer
Singh
amongst
others,
and
presented
them
in
a
new
avatar
in
his
film.
Speaking
about
the
celebrated
filmmaker,
he
is
often
percieved
to
go
to
extreme
lengths
to
extract
superlative
performances
from
his
cast.
There
have
been
instances
when
the
director
and
his
actors
have
parted
ways
owing
to
creative
differences.
Recently
in
a
tete-a-tete
with
ETimes,
Bhansali
opened
up
on
his
headstrong
vision
being
looked
upon
as
a
sign
of
rebellion
and
said,
"I
make
my
movies
with
all
my
heart
and
soul.
I
leave
no
stone
unturned
to
bring
to
life
exactly
what
I
see
in
my
mind's
eye.
Till
I
am
satisfied
with
what
I
want
on
the
floor,
I
cannot
go
ahead
and
shoot
my
scene.
It
is
mostly
my
passion
that
people
misunderstand
and
give
me
the
tag
of
a
taskmaster."
He
continued,
"At
the
end
of
the
day,
it
is
their
lens
that
they
are
looking
through
and
I
cannot
control
what
they
see
through
that
lens;
all
I
can
do
is
satisfy
my
unending
passion
for
filmmaking.
I
don't
take
creative
conflicts
personally.
When
I
am
on
the
set,
it
is
my
sacred
sanctuary
and
I
treat
it
with
the
highest
regard
and
expect
the
same
from
everyone
who
is
working
with
me
on
that
project."
The
filmmaker
also
spoke
at
length
about
his
films
having
fierce
and
fearless
female
protagonists,
and
said
that
he
is
greatly
influenced
by
his
mother.
"I
love
writing
fierce
women
characters
that
are
strong-headed,
iron-willed
and
soft-hearted
at
the
same
time.
I
am
greatly
influenced
by
my
mother
when
it
comes
to
writing
female
characters.
She
had
a
certain
devoted
demeanour
when
it
came
to
my
father.
She
was
vulnerable,
but
not
naïve.
In
fact,
vulnerability
was
her
greatest
strength.
A
dancer,
she
was
fierce,
yet
graceful.
I
have
magnified
my
image
of
her
a
billion-fold
and
projected
her
on
to
my
canvas
-
not
always,
but
sometimes.
In
some
of
my
female
characters,
you
will
only
see
a
glimpse
of
my
mother,
whereas
characters
like
Leela
in
Ram-Leela
are
fully
reminiscent
of
my
mother," Bhansali
told
the
tabloid.
When
asked
if
he
would
ever
drift
to
making
modest
budgeted,
simple,
non-extravagant
movies,
the
Devdas
director
said,
"To
me,
filmmaking
is
more
about
an
art
than
the
number
game.
I
don't
project
a
budget
on
to
my
passion
when
I'm
making
a
movie.
When
I'm
on
the
floor,
I'm
often
inspired
to
shift
things
around.
In
that
moment,
I'm
motivated
by
my
art.
I
don't
think
about
how
much
it
will
cost.
How
can
I
put
a
price
on
what
I
love?"
Sanjay
Leela
Bhansali's
upcoming
film
is
Alia
Bhatt-starrer
Gangubai
Kathiawadi.
Calling
it
a
very
special
film
to
him,
the
filmmaker
said
that
the
journey
on
this
film
wasn't
easy,
adding
that
he
has
given
it
his
all.