Sanjay Leela Bhansali Says 'I Live For Nothing In My Life', Only 'Want To Make Films'

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar has been the talk of the town since its release. Bhansali is one of the most prolific directors in Bollywood and is known for harnessing brilliant performances from his actors, which they themselves don’t always know that they are capable of. In a recent chat, Bhansali spoke about surrendering to his work and how he lives for nothing else but films.

Speaking to Galatta Plus, Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, “I’m not here to make money. I’m here to make a film. I’m here to make an experience for you. I’m here to tell you that maybe this was my way of telling you to hear it. But yeah, it all comes from giving a lot more than what you on the periphery see when a filmmaker’s work you see ‘ya he’s got a certain style’. All of that is okay, but there’s a lot more that goes in when you surrender to your work. I live for nothing in my life. I only want to make films. I only want to go to the studio. The best city in the world is film city.”

Talking about the hate he has received for his work, the director said, “Some of them hate my work immensely and they don’t shy away from saying that. But they react to it. They hate it. There’s a conversation to that need to be hated. I take it very constructively, not that it matters to me. I will continue to make films the way I want to, but there has to be imagination where you take the people into that world.”

In the same conversation, Bhansali also asserted that when actors perform well, they take sole credit instead of acknowledging the technicians. He said, “A performance does not belong to an actor. A good performance belongs to a director, dialogue writer, cinematographer, art director, costume designer, choreographer, editor, and the guy who has painted the wall behind you. You are saying ‘my performance’, but you are never saying that these people are responsible for my performance. Everything is suddenly hijacked by the actor, which is where the problem in Indian cinema is.”

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi was released on Netflix on May 1. Its stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Richa Chadha and Sharmin Segal in the lead. It also features Farheen Khan, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman in key roles.