Top 103 Quotes & Sayings by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Explore popular quotes and sayings by an Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Last updated on September 17, 2024.
I just wish one of the big American studios had bought 'Devdas.' They would have pitched the film for the Oscars in a big way, like Miramax did with the Chinese film 'Hero.'
The film industry functions on fraternal feelings. If there is a problem, we solve it in-house.
I don't think international cinema is ready to embrace mainstream Indian cinema unconditionally. Even Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding' didn't get to the Oscars after being nominated for the Golden Globe Awards.
You can do a formula film and walk the conventional path, but it may not work at all.
I believe in 'Black' as much as I believe in 'Bajirao Mastani.'
I don't want to plan my career. That would be a business plan. Filmmaking is not a business plan.
The equality of men and women is not possible because both are different. A mountain is a mountain, and a river is a river.
I reveal myself in my movies.
People don't want to always see a comedy or an action film. If the film in a particular genre is made well, then it will see its share of success.
I remember during 'Devdas,' people told me that they had seen 'Devdas' before, so what would be so different about this one. But I was convinced with the subject, and that is what drove me.
My 'Devdas' was a tribute to all the mainstream masters, from Mehboob Khan, K. Asif, and V. Shantaram to Raj Kapoor. I am not saying critics shouldn't have criticised my film. But they should have judged the film within the genre and format that I had chosen.
I am distressed when I see news channels saying 'Devdas' has let down the country by not getting an Oscar nomination.
With 'Bajirao Mastani,' we have created history.
When I make a film about a physically challenged person, I come away with so much. I learn to value what I have. My survival instinct sharpened after 'Black' and 'Guzaarish.'
It's been a journey of great stress and awakening. I have given my blood sweat and tears to 'Padmavati.'
My art completes my life.
'Devdas' is the first Hindi commercial film to be seen at Cannes. And 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' is getting a whole lot of appreciation abroad. I'm pleased.
Take any movie from 'Khamoshi' to 'Black,' I was always clear about my subjects.
'Jhalak' was a wonderful experience, but it was important for me to get back to films, since I am a director too.
If I am aware of my own limitations, then I can work towards overcoming them.
My mother is special to me. She understands me. She has no expectations from me.
I never believed in birthday parties.
I feel it is important to respect contestants on national TV, celebrity or not.
I write all my scripts with Salman in mind. He understands me perfectly on the sets.
My movies are personal notes of my whole life.
What's life without risks? When I made 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,' everybody said in India you can never have a husband say that I am uniting my wife with her lover. The male audience would reject it, and it is a male audience and hero-oriented industry.
Western music is alien to my ears.
I need music while taking a bath. I need it in the car.
My mother was my pillar of strength.
Bad behaviour on TV is quite nauseating and putting off.
Friendship and loyalty shouldn't come in the way of casting.
There is dignity in being a celebrity. Let us not lose that dignity.
The Cannes Film Festival is the biggest, most prestigious film festival in the world. This is where filmmakers are discovered, where futures are made, and the most important films premiered.
I think caring too much about the economics starts affecting the creative aspect of the film. That is a dangerous process for a filmmaker. He should make his film without having to worry about how much it has cost or how much it will be sold for.
The first film that I saw of Shammi Kapoor was 'Bhramachari.' I instantly fell in love with the film and connected with Shammiji. His style was natural and unique.
I gave everything I had to give to 'Devdas.' I knew I would never make a better love story because there is none.
Of course, an Oscar nomination would have added considerably to the film's business abroad. But it has already made nearly Rs 150 crore. It has done stupendous business overseas. We did a business of Rs 80 crore when we took 'Devdas' to Cannes.
I am extremely proud that our cinema is being recognised in the West. I want Indian cinema to get its dignity, not by giving them the kind of films they expect from us, but by making cinema in a way that carries the legacy of the mainstream masters forward.
Think of Hridaynath Mangeshkar's 'Mira bhajans.' I have bought these records three to four times, as I listen to them so often.
I was criticised for making 'Devdas' so ostentatious. But stark and realistic cinema isn't the only real cinema in this country.
I've met quadriplegics who have lost the use of their limbs but not their spirit. They are not dark, defeated people.
I work like a dog.
Many people ask me why I chose to remake 'Devdas.' I wanted to make a film that celebrated grandeur and grace.
Though all festivals are important, this Cannes Festival starts off the season.
'Devdas' isn't a real film. It isn't in the same genre as Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding,' where the camera's presence is so understated it almost disappears.
It is absolutely important to balance stars with newcomers so the whole chemistry and ambience between people who have never worked before becomes far more explosive and exciting.
It is very difficult for anyone to predict how a film will do. It depends on so many things: the mood of the audience, the state of their mind at the time, how they have reacted to the whole treatment.
I have always chosen subjects which are little different, and not subjects that you see. That challenges me and the actors who work in the project.
My soul needs music all the time.
I never liked being told what to do, so even in school plays, I never liked being an actor.
There is no such thing as human perfection, and yet when you hear Lataji sing, you wonder how she sang that song so beautifully, so perfectly. Or, how Kumar Gandharva touched your soul so powerfully.
'Ramleela' is my most violent film.
The multiplexes audience has one way of thinking. When they are all sitting together temperamentally, there is room for a filmmaker to reach out to a far larger audience in a comfortable way.
Once a film is selected at Cannes, the crossover becomes very easy, thanks to the prestige and dignity it gains at Cannes.
I'm petrified of facing the camera. Even to shoot for a photograph is an ordeal. But it's important to break free of your inhibitions at some point in your life.
Life is not only about dark nights; it's also about beautiful, sunshiny mornings.
A man is not capable of giving the way a woman gives. She is stronger. When a woman sacrifices, it lends her grace and beauty.
As long as what you do reaches out to people, I don't think there's any reason to stop yourself from doing anything.
The media should be ready to cover every event at the Oberois' residence. If Vivek's dog has dysentery tomorrow, we should be prepared to hear Vivek talk about it on camera for three hours.
I am trying to pursue excellence.
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