25 Years of Sanjay Leela Bhansali: Deepika Padukone’s note for the filmmaker is all heart

Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Deepika Padukone Picture Courtesy: AFP

Sanjay Leela Bhansali completed 25 glorious years in Hindi Cinema on August 9. He began his career as a filmmaker with ‘Khamoshi: The Musical' in 1996 and soon became a bonafide visionary of the fraternity. His cinema is rooted in grandeur and relentless passion, coloured with stunning visuals and gorgeous frames.

Deepika Padukone has worked with Bhansali thrice. The fate of a fourth collaboration hangs in the balance, if it can survive the stains of a question mark that has been imposed on endless headlines recently. On his silver jubilee anniversary, the actress shared an Instagram story and penned her emotions to express her joy.

She wrote- "9th November 2007. My debut film Om Shanti Om was pitted against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya. And as grateful as I was (And I still am...I cannot think of another female actor who has been launched in the same manner as I was), I also remember thinking to myself at the time, that I would never be good enough...to be a Sanjay Leela Bhansali muse."

She added, " Fast forward to 2012. I was extremely unwell and laid up in bed. I received a call from my management saying ‘Sanjay Leela Bhansali wants to meet you.' I said, ‘What?!'. They said, ‘Yes! He is doing a film and would really like to meet you.' ‘I would do cartwheels to go and see him right away, but I can't get out of bed right now!' I said. The next thing I know, he was on his way to see me!"

"What I cherish even more though, is the influence our collaboration has had on me personally. I say this without a shadow of a doubt that I wouldn't be half the person I am today if it wasn't for Sanjay Leela Bhansali!" she wrote, adding, "As he embarks on the next phase of this most incredible journey, I look forward to creating many more memorable and iconic characters together, but more importantly, I wish him good health, peace of mind, and happiness...always," she continued.

Padukone essays ache with such conviction that we instantly relate to her anguish. She did that in the career-defining ‘Cocktail' and then in her collaborations with Bhansali. The first one being another adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. After the failure of his last two films, it was time for the filmmaker to revisit what he may have wished to leave behind. ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela- Ram Leela'echoes the sentiments of his second saga. Leela is not very much different from Nandini, their responses to advances and outbursts at their men are pretty much similar. But Ram and Leela's romance is far more rustic and arousing. Their passion is gratifying and hate for each other in the later portions explosive. This is no-holds-barred at its Bhansali best.

In ‘Bajirao Mastani', SLB silences Padukone and fixes his camera on her piquant face and haunting eyes. Even Peshwa Bajirao (the tireless Ranveer Singh) is instantly enamoured by her striking presence. The hushed whispers between the surreptitious lovers add more depth to their impassioned romance. Debatably, the other actress of this tragic story, Kashibai, stole the show. Priyanka Chopra's greatest moments on screen have been seen in this film, where she channels childlike innocence, sparkling intensity, and the envy of another woman in her husband's life. And in two of these emotions, she doesn't utter a word. ‘Bajirao Mastani' is surely a film of minimum effort, maximum effect.

‘Padmaavat' is mostly a Ranveer Singh showreel but the story cannot exist without the Queen. Padukone plays Rani Padmaavati, whose beauty catches the fancy of a beast, Alauddin Khilji. No filmmaker in recent memory derives pleasure out of putting his actors in deep pain. For one more time, the story culminates in tragedy. The act of Jauhar by Padmaavati and several other queens is established as a sign of their freedom. They would rather sacrifice their lives than be ruled by a ruthless animal. Even while performing the act of self-immolation, the gorgeousness of the actress stays intact. It's not just the face, what also counts is the gaze of the man behind the lenses. Beauty always lies in the eyes of the beholder!

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