WIDE ANGLE | Saibal Chatterjee
New Delhi, July 5, 2005
excerpt from a recent hindustantimes.com article on period movies coming in future
As it promises to do in the case of Sanjay Leela Bhansali as well. He constantly experiments with genres and forms within – and, as in the case of Black, without - the format of popular Mumbai movies. The maverick filmmaker is now reportedly close to realizing the long-nurtured dream of mounting a historical epic, Bajirao Mastani.
How long this process will take to play itself out and assume a final shape will depend entirely on what the likes of Bhansali, Gowariker, Santoshi and Ketan Mehta manage to achieve with their upcoming dream projects. The Mumbai film industry has always peddled dreams, often with great success, but when dreams are rooted in a creative filmmaker’s innate passion for his craft, they assume a special edge.
When dreams go a long, long way, history is made. These are exciting times indeed for Bollywood.
New Delhi, July
5, 2005
Excerpt from a recent hindustantimes.com article on period
movies coming in future
As it promises to do in the case of Sanjay
Leela Bhansali as well. He constantly experiments with
genres and forms within – and, as in the case of Black,
without - the format of popular Mumbai movies. The maverick
filmmaker is now reportedly close to realizing the long-nurtured
dream of mounting a historical epic, Bajirao Mastani.
How long this process will take to play
itself out and assume a final shape will depend entirely
on what the likes of Bhansali, Gowariker, Santoshi and
Ketan Mehta manage to achieve with their upcoming dream
projects. The Mumbai film industry has always peddled
dreams, often with great success, but when dreams are
rooted in a creative filmmaker’s innate passion for his
craft, they assume a special edge. When dreams go a long,
long way, history is made.
These are exciting times indeed for Bollywood.
2005 - the year of 'different cinema'?
Mumbai | March 12, 2005 1:42:27 PM IST
Mumbai, March 12 : Superstars are taking the plunge and audiences are gulping it down too - "different cinema" is big this year.
"The formula cinema is dead," says producer Pritish Nandy. As though to prove him right, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Black" makes a splash on the same day as Nandy's different-to-the-point-of-eccentricity "Shabd".
Though "Shabd" failed to make an impact, it nonetheless proved the point that the audience is being nurtured into a different entertainment mindset.
A film about a writer with a creative block who for creative release cajoles his wife to have an affair with a younger man is hardly what big guns like Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai would consider commercially viable. Yet they've taken on "Shabd".
"Indian cinema is looking way beyond the formula now," asserts Nandy. "None of the films being produced by us adheres to the so-called formula. And yet we don't make art house films."
The sharp distinction between mainstream and art house cinema has evaporated this year. In January, Madhur Bhandarkar's unconventionally plotted peep at the beau monde in "Page 3" proved to be the surprise success of the season.
Bhandarkar still can't believe how well his little (Rs.25 million) film was received. "Everyone thought this was, at best, a multiplex film. I was happy with that. Since the budget was so meagre we thought the film would recover its investment, plus make a small profit. That was it.
"Who would've thought that a film about the party animals of Mumbai's elite would be a hit in a place like Patna? Just goes to show, the audience is hungry for new experiences."
Filmmakers seem anxious to go against the formulaic rules. Even a hardcore kitsch maker like Harry Baweja is ready with "Main Aisa Hi Hoon", about an autistic man, played by Ajay Devgan, fighting for the legal custody of his son.
Bhansali's "Black" has beaten all scepticism to become an across-the-board hit.
"People are getting up from their seats to give 'Black' a standing ovation. I couldn't have asked for more," says Bhansali as he expresses a determination to do "exactly as I please...you can't follow rules in creative work. You must follow your heart".
Though "Black" is a far more expensive film than "Page 3", its audience is growing by the day.
Exults Mumbai's primary financier and distributor Shyam Shroff: "It's a gem of a movie. Ideally it should have been released with less number of prints and certain shows having Q & A sessions with the director and the actors.
"To me, it's a crime to watch this gem for less than Rs.500 a ticket. This movie is for a certain section of the audience and the attempt should have been made to recover on an average more than Rs.500 from each such patron. Why show it to those who do not appreciate such quality product?"
But the question is, do "Black" and "Page 3" appeal only to the elite class?
"Going by the way the stars and cinema are heading this year, I'd say the much maligned masses are ready for a change," predicts filmmaker Hansal Mehta.
"I've a feeling, 'Black' is going to be like the new age 'Sholay'. If you remember, 'Sholay', which is today considered a milestone, started off tamely. 'Black' too is a slow starter, but is fated to change the way we look at cinema. And this change will reflect on 2005 as a whole."
Mehta has a point. 2005 does seem to be the year of the different cinema. Big stars are striving to move away from their starry images. After doing an entirely different image defying role in Ashutosh Gowariker's "Swades", Shah Rukh Khan is now working with avant-garde director Amol Palekar in "Paheli" where he plays a ghost!
Aamir Khan has just completed a historical, "The Rising", and Salman Khan will in all likelihood move completely away from his bad boy image to play the Maratha king in Bhansali's proposed historical "Bajirao Mastani".
Hrithik Roshan too has almost been finalised to do a major historical opus.
Bajirao Mastani Delayed
Bhansali's next project was meant to
be another grand musical period film. However the historical
Bajirao Mastani which was to star Salman Khan (a very
close friend of Bhanasli who played the lead in the director's
enchanting love triangle Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) and Kareena
Kapoor, got delayed for various reasons including Khan's
dates. The creative restless spirit that he is, Bhansali
decided to make a small bi-lingual non-musical which would
allow him to break free from the epic mould of Devdas.
Black turned out to be neither small nor a bi-lingual.
Budgeted at nearly 20 crore rupees ("This is as small
as I can get," laughs the director) and made only in Hindi
("I dropped the English version because the emotions sounded
right only in Hindi" Black is expected to take its director
to an altogether new plane of passion and perfection.
Source:Sify.com
I need a break: Bhansali
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
is currently basking in the warmth of Black's success.
But speculations about his next film are not letting him
"chill in peace", he says. It's heard that he has finalised
the cast and subject of his next film already. Prod him
and he grumbles, "That's not true. After making a film
like Black for the last two years and working on it for
20 hours everyday, I now need a break for a few months.
It's been a challenging film to make and I'm exhausted."
In fact, Bhansali has just come back from a visit to his
doctor. "I have been unwell and completely stressed out.
Now, with the film's
release and commercial success, I want to just chill out,
enjoy myself, read, watch movies and just do nothing."
Bhansali is very satisfied with the response Black has
garnered.
The film, he says,
has been a hit all over India, with people giving it a
standing ovation at the end. There are rumours that he
has promised lots of actresses films, including one to
Aishwarya Rai and one to Rani Mukerji. "I don't know who
is spreading these rumours. I don't operate like that
neither do I play such games. It all adds to unnecessary
confusion and I am not such a powerful person to play
around with anybody. I don't know how these rumours originated.
If I make a subject where I need Rani, I will definitely
take her. She's a great actress and I love her performance."
He is also supposed
to launch Rishi and Neetu Kapoor's son Ranbir for his
next. "It's wrong, irritating and pressuring to make assumptions.
Someone asked me recently if I was making Saraswati Chandra
with Sikander (Anupam and Kirron Kher's son) and Sonam
(Anil Kapoor's daughter). This is definitely not true!
Sonam came crying to me and asked me. This was a film
I had talked about a long time ago and spoken about it
in an interview recently.
The next thing
I know, do aur do paanch karke I am making a film on it.
I am not answerable to anybody." Another rumour he finds
baffling is that Mira Nair and him are supposed to make
a film together. "I have never spoken to her or met her,
so how can I make a film with her?" he frowns.
There are expectations
that Black deserves to go to the awards next year. He
miles, "The quality of the film, the technicians, the
way the film has been shot have all been on par with international
standards," he reflects. So is his next going to be a
love story, a thriller or something else? "It's too early
for me to make a decision now.
I haven't thought
of any subject or story. When I finalise my cast and subject,
I will make an announcement. The only subject that is
ready is Bajirao Mastani but that was because I was to
make it this year. But I don't know whether I will make
it or not. As of now, I'd just like to enjoy my time alone
after Black," Bhansali says.
Shah Rukh Khan signed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali?
By Our Correspondent ©2005 Bollyvista.com
Shah Rukh Khan
The hot buzz doing the rounds is that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has approached Shah Rukh Khan for his next project and the latter has agreed. Bhansali previously directed SRK in 'Devdas'.
We're not clear about the subject of his next, considering his Salman-Kareena starrer 'Bajirao Mastani' doesn't look like it's happening. Bhansali was keen to work with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai but dropped the idea after the two were signed for 'Dhoom 2' opposite each other
Salman Doesn't Know Who Mastani Is
While everybody knows that Sanjay Leela
Bhansali's next venture after 'Black' will be 'Bajirao
Mastani' and Salman and Rani are in it for sure, it's
the role of Mastani that's creating confusion.
The role was reportedly written with
Aishwarya in mind, but obviously she won't work with Salman.
Recently there were talks of Kareena having been signed,
but just a couple of days back when Salman was asked about
the name of the actress who plays Mastani, he said "I
don't know." When asked if it is Kareena, he said,
"Yes, maybe." So will Mr. Bhansali clear things
up for us please?
Source:Bollyvista
100 WATT CONTROL
This film-maker tells
Harneet Singh he loves Raj Kapoor, worries about his hair
and vents his anger on his cellphones. Are you ready for
his Kieslowski-inspired Black?
SANJAY LEELA BHANSALI’s typical day: Sleep at 2
am. Dream. Wake up. Dream. Work for 14 hours. Go for a
walk or a drive, depending on the mood. If it’s
a drive then it must be with Norah Jones, Lata Mangeshkar,
Madan Mohan and RD Burman (a song a day from each, please).
Eat. Sleep. Dream some more.
The 40-year-old film-maker
of modern classics like Khamoshi, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
and Devdas rarely steps out of his home, never parties
and has very few friends in the industry. He’s so
reclusive that every two weeks, actor and best buddy Salman
Khan calls to check if he’s still alive. 
‘‘After my mother, Leela,
the only human contact I have with the world is through
my characters. Cinema is the only life I live. I find
it difficult to reach out to people. Actually, I don’t
feel the need,’’ he shrugs.
We’re comfortably
ensconced in his workspace, the balcony of his minimalist
Mumbai apartment, with dreamy white chiffon curtains and
muddy Shahbad tiles straight out of Khamoshi. ‘‘I’m
not a marble flooring person. You can’t look at
it daily, this is so clean,’’ he says.
As the photographer
begins taking pictures, the director switch flicks on.
‘‘Mera right side bad angle hai. Left se photo
le.” He wants to know if the light is falling on
his face. ‘‘Is it a close-up? Don’t
come so near, my nose is too long.’’ He’s
also unhappy about his hair. ‘‘I’ve
gone to so many barbers but nobody has been able to help.
Now I have accepted that my hair will always stand on
end.’’ He checks the display on the digital
camera and wants some shots deleted.
‘‘I can’t help it,’’
he shakes his head. ‘‘Film-making is imprinting
a moment permanently in time. You never get the moment
back. And I don’t want anyone to spoil it for me.’’
Over the years he’s
acquired an impressive collection of labels—neurotic,
obsessive and eccentric, among others. Stories of him
slapping assistant directors and ‘punishing’
them abound. Ask him about it and Bhansali grimaces. ‘‘I
am 100 watts. I am very temperamental. I am very edgy.
I am very passionate.’’
Bhansali’s ire is easily triggered when someone
upsets the balance in the only place he believes he has
any real control—the destinies of his characters.
‘‘I spend hours looking at every stone of
a pillar on my film set, if I see a speck of dust, I am
bound to lose it.’’ But he dismisses all the
OTT urban legends. ‘‘I don’t hit anyone.
I might give my ADs a rap on their shoulders but that’s
it.’’ Maybe he doesn’t go that far,
but apparently, his favourite forms of punishment are
slightly more school marmish—Bhansali makes errant
ADs stand in the sun, or orders them off the set if they
so much as whisper.
He also likes taking
it out on cellphones. ‘‘I get a strange satisfaction
from breaking mobiles. If you go to the lake at Filmcity,
you’ll find lots of broken handsets; they are all
my doing.’’
THE signs that you’re
in a film-maker’s home are everywhere. You can pay
homage to Frederico Fellini as you wait for someone to
answer the doorbell. Several frames of the Italian director
during the making of his decadent 1960 masterpiece, La
Dolce Vita, cover one wall. In the study, there’s
no shortage of books on movies. An autobiography of David
Lean, The 5 C’s of Cinematography, Painting with
Light, Notes On The Making Of Apocalypse Now, The Films
of Akira Kurosawa jostle with Robert Ludlum, Paulo Coelho,
and Richard Bach. There’s a book on North Atlantic
lighthouses (that explains Salman Khan’s lighthouse-home
in Khamoshi). There are five cupfuls of sharpened pencils;
because that’s how Bhansali writes.
Right now, all his attention
is focussed on next month’s Black, a dramatic departure
from the Rs 50-crore operatic opulence of Devdas. This
is his first film without a Khan (Salman or Shah Rukh).
And Black’s unlikely lead pair of Amitabh Bachchan
and Rani Mukerji will have to make do without the usual
boost from Ismail Durbar—it’s a songless film.
It is also a stark canvas of black, white, grey and blue.
Though Bhansali regards Devdas as his
‘‘finest work in terms of cinematic form,’’
Black, he says, is his reason to be proud. The story of
a deaf, blind and mute girl who wants to sing is Bhansali’s
quest to find out if his cinema can go beyond words. ‘‘People
noticed even the colours of the curtains in Hum Dil De
Chuke Sanam and Devdas. I wanted to prove that I can make
a rich and vibrant film in monochromatic colours. Black
is an important experiment in positive colours.’’
But it’s an experiment
that bears a strong resemblance to Krzysztof Kieslowski’s
critically-acclaimed three colour trilogy, Blue, White,
Red. Bhansali admits to being “definitely inspired”
by Blue. “Which film-maker wouldn’t be inspired
by Kieslowski? He’s the only modern-day master.
And Blue is my favourite film, so might as well,’’
he laughs.
LIKE his previous films,
Black is about hope and pain. And this one too seems autobiographical.
‘‘I express my personal anguish in my cinema.
The world can deduce and debate about my life from my
movies,’’ he agrees.
Bhansali says that he cries while writing
about his characters’ lives. His father died nursing
a dream to become a director. His mother worked hard so
her children could follow their passion for cinema (sister
Bela now edits all his films). The past is also about
a love gone wrong, but Bhansali never talks about that.
‘‘I’ve gone beyond all that. These days,
I am floating. I am happy.’’
And now, nothing comes between him and
his obsession. Salman Khan wanted a two-minute appearance
in Black but was firmly refused. ‘‘I don’t
make changes for anyone,’’ says Bhansali.
Ask Aishwarya Rai. It’s well-chronicled how Bhansali’s
ex-muse wanted Khan out of Bajirao Mastani, his ‘‘next
dream’’. So he opted for Kareena Kapoor instead.
As of now, Bajirao Mastani is on hold because Khan and
Kapoor have already signed two films. But Bhansali is
confident it is ‘‘destined’’ to
be made. A poster of a moustached Khan and a kohl-eyed
Kapoor in Bhansali’s study is proof enough.
April 08, 2004
If Rekha were twenty years younger,
she would have been the ideal choice for a film that has
an exotic name like Bajirao Mastani. This is something
that even Sanjay Leela Bhansali must have realized. Which
is perhaps the reason that he has signed up the gorgeous
Rekha to play a vital role in his film that stars Salman
Khan and Kareena Kapoor. The fun thing is that of course
she will look ornamental and add to the décor that
is inevitably a part of a Sanjay Leela film, but her character
will have a villain-ish streak.
October 16, 2003
After choreographing songs for Yash
Chopra's DIL TO PAGAL HAI and Subhash Ghai's TAAL, ace
choreographer Shiamak Davar did not take up any film assignments.
"The offers weren't tempting enough," Shiamak tells me.
But the response to his choreographed numbers at I.I.F.A.,
Johannesburg earlier this year made actors and producers
sit up and take note of the immense talent he possesses.
And one of the producers who seemed besotted by his work
was Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Reportedly, Sanjay has approached Shiamak with an offer
to choreograph the songs of his costume drama BAJIRAO
MASTANI, starring Salman Khan in the lead. Besides this
plum assignment, Shiamak has also been offered an international
project, the details of which are being worked out.
September 22, 2003
Looks like Sanjay Leela Bhansali
plans to start the shooting of ´Bajirao Mastani´ from
November .
According to our sources there were two reasons for the
delay of the movie in the first place . First of all Bhansali
wanted to make ´Black´ , in a start to finish schedule
but he got no confirmation from Amitabh Bachchan .
Secondly , he was waiting for Rekha to give her consent
for her role as ´peshwa´ Salman´s mother and since she
has , ´Bajirao Mastani´ is expected to roll as soon as
the unit of Salman´s ´Mujhse Shaadi Karoge´ , returns
to India after the Mauritius schedule of the movie in
November.
August 08, 2003
At the moment the most challenging
role the actress has is in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao
Mastani in which Rekha will star as 'Bajirao' Salman Khan's
mother.
It's Rekha's first true-life
role since Muzaffar Ali's Umrao Jaan, and her fourth period
epic after Umrao Jaan, Girish Karnad's Utsav and Mira
Nair's Kamasutra.
The director and the actress
share a mutual admiration. While Rekha has been a fan
of Bhansali's works ever since she saw Hum Dil De Chuke
Sanam, Bhansali says, "It's any director's dream
to work with Rekhaji."
July 18, 2003
It's official! Sanjay Leela Bhansali
has decided to make two films in quick succession. Bhansali's
Devdas made waves in India and all over the world last
year. Now, he's back with yet another period film based
on the historical romance between the legendary Maratha
general Bajirao Peshwa and the courtesan Mastani.
For the coveted role of Bajirao, Bhansali has signed Salman
Khan who worked in his earlier films - Khamoshi: The Musical
and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. For Mastani, the astute filmmaker
has zeroed in on the hot-and-saleable Kareena Kapoor.
In an exclusive interview,
Bhansali said, "I couldn't see a better Bajirao than
Salman. I know people will challenge me for my casting.
But they did the same when I cast Shah Rukh Khan as Devdas
and Ajay Devgan in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The doubts
are in their minds, not mine. Everyone has a different
take on every issue. But the final decision has to come
from within me. While writing the screenplay I saw only
Salman and Kareena in the title roles. I think Salman
fits in perfectly, no doubt about that. When audiences
see him they'll know what I mean. I write all my scripts
with Salman in mind. He understands me perfectly on the
sets. There is a sense of fun underlining the seriousness
on the sets."
Bhansali says he didn't
sign his favourite Khan for Devdas because Shah Rukh Khan
suited the role better. Salman, admits Bhansali, was hurt.
"I should have told him I intended to cast Shah Rukh.
He wasn't hurt about not being cast, but about not being
told. Finally it's the film that matters. Friendship and
loyalty shouldn't come in the way of casting. If you compromise
in the casting it is bound to expose eventually. Black
has to be made only with Amitji [Amitabh Bachchan] and
Bajirao Mastani with Salman."
According to Bhansali,
Kareena has extraordinary talent that is waiting to be
tapped. "She has the pathos of Meena Kumari and the
fire of Nargis. Kareena also exudes a unique mystery and
power in her personality. There's something very striking
and untamed about her personality. No one can play a female
warrior better than her. Mastani has to be larger than
life. Kareena is perfect for the role. She is going to
be a revelation as Mastani. I wouldn't have anyone else
playing Mastani. She possesses a completely different
area of attitude, personality, beauty and femininity."
"Everything about
her is different from the actresses I have worked with
before," he says. "That gives me the impetus
to explore the utterly fascinating character of Mastani
in all her glory. Mastani is one of the most important
female characters in Indian history. With Kareena playing
her I feel I can capture the essence, ethos and spirit
of Mastani."
In the other pivotal
role of Bajirao's wife, Bhansali has cast Rani Mukerji.
The Chalte Chalte star also features in his other project
Black. The shooting of Black commences in December 2003.
"Only she [Rani] can play Bajirao's wife Kashibai
the way I see the character. I needed a great performer
who is also dignified. Without Rani in Bajirao Mastani
I would be as confused as Devdas without Madhuri [Dixit].
I have signed her [Rani] for both Black and Bajirao Mastani.
She is a fabulous actress. It would be as wonderful to
put her on screen with Amitji in Black, as it would be
to put her with Kareena Kapoor and Salman Khan in Bajirao
Mastani. The two films offer her a range that actresses
only dream about. Rani and I are very good friends in
real life. That will help us while working together."
Before Bhansali begins
work on Bajirao Mastani in May 2004, he plans to start
an English-Hindi bi-lingual called Black starring Amitabh
Bachchan. "I am grateful to Amitji for accommodating
my film in his busy schedule. It is fascinating to know
that even today filmmakers are devising projects with
him in mind. I think that makes him the greatest star-actor
of our country. I have been a diehard fan from childhood."
Like most filmmakers,
it was Bhansali's dream to work with the Big B. "Even
my first film Khamoshi was written for Amitabh and Jaya
Bachchan. But at that point he had taken a break from
acting. I felt with a baritone like his, he would never
choose a role that required him to be mute [for his comeback
film]. The fear of rejection prevented me from approaching
him," he says.
Cynics are doubtful about
how a man of Bhansali's consuming vision plans to make
two films back-to-back. He is clear about his plans. "Both
projects are very close to my heart. Once I decided on
making these films there was never any question of turning
back. Rather than standing by my convictions, people are
busy spreading rumours. Each day there's a new rumour
about the casting. The fact is I have cast my first choices
in both projects. It was reported that Rani had walked
into Bajirao Mastani and Kareena had walked out. What
was the need for this baseless media report when they
are playing two different roles?" he quizzes angrily.
To Bhansali, Black and
Bajirao Mastani are not only means of creative rejuvenation.
It is also a chance to prove his capabilities in two contrasting
genres and moods. "It is a conscious process of rejuvenation
as a filmmaker. I have to reinvent myself as a creative
person."
Bhansali cites the example
of his cinematographer Ravi Chandran in both films. "We
[Chandran and Bhansali] will be constructing two totally
different perspectives in the two films. I will have to
work extensively with all my actors before shooting starts.
With Amitji I've to get over my awe before I can get to
a comfort level. I'll have to learn to take him into confidence
rather than look up to him. Neither he nor I have done
anything like Black before. Fortunately he's one of finest
human beings I know, so communication should be easy.
With Kareena and Rani it'd be much easier. They just need
to surrender themselves to me in order to come into their
own. I know can I mould her [Kareena] into my vision.
Mastani is a very crucial role. It's imperative that Salman
and Kareena play this historical character correctly,
and I know they will," he says.
The filming of Black
will take place between December and April 2004. Bajirao
Mastani goes on the floors in May 2004.
Contrary to the title,
Black isn't a depressing subject at all he says. "It
is an uplifting tale on the triumph of the human spirit."
Black is also Bhansali's
favourite colour as it has a universal resonance. "I
think it's a powerful striking colour which describes
the film's sensitivities," says the passionate director.
"Black isn't a small project I have squeezed into
my schedule. How can any film with Amitji be small? It's
going to be a very important film in my oeuvre. Amitji's
and Rani's [as well]. I plan to make it in both English
and Hindi. Bhawani Iyer's English dialogues are too lucid
to be left behind in translation. I believe in Black as
much as I believe in Bajirao Mastani. The two are so different
from each other. I feel creatively stimulated and challenged
like never before. Here's my chance not just to do two
antithetical films but also something completely different
from what I have done in my last three films."
May 21, 2003
The project, titled BAJIRAO MASTANI,
will star Salman Khan in the lead, as we all know by now.
"But," Bhansali clarifies, "I haven't signed any leading
lady yet. Yes, I've been talking to a few people and have
met a few actresses as well, but none have been finalized
so far."
