1. Sanjay Leela Bhansali was born on 24 February 1963 and is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and music composer, who works in Hindi cinema.
30 Facts About Sanjay Leela Bhansali
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the recipient of several awards, including seven National Film Awards and 12 Filmfare Awards, in addition to a nomination for a BAFTA Award.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali gained both mainstream and critical success with the romantic dramas Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, the latter of which won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for directing the drama Black.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali began producing under his banner Bhansali Productions.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali won the National Film Award for Best Direction for Bajirao Mastani and the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for Padmaavat.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali has since directed the biopic Gangubai Kathiawadi, winning further National and Filmfare Awards.
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In 2024, Sanjay Leela Bhansali launched his own music label, named Sanjay Leela Bhansali Music, as well as created and directed the period drama series Heeramandi.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali was born on 24 February 1963 in Bhuleshwar, South Bombay into a Gujarati-Jain family.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali's father, Navin, was an film producer, but due to financial setbacks, he turned to alcoholism.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali adopted his mother's name as his middle name instead of his father's.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali has paid tribute to his father in many of his films.
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In Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Sameer's tendency of speaking to his deceased father while looking at the sky is believed to be inspired by a similar habit that Sanjay Leela Bhansali had during his childhood.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali studied editing at Film and Television Institute of India.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali speaks Gujarati at home and loves Gujarati food, music, literature and architecture.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali began his career as an assistant to Vidhu Vinod Chopra and was involved in the making of Parinda as an assistant director, 1942: A Love Story as a writer and assistant choreographer and Kareeb.
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However, they had a falling-out when Sanjay Leela Bhansali refused to direct Kareeb.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali rose to prominence in Indian cinema with the musical love triangle Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, starring Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan, and Ajay Devgn, which established his individualistic stamp for visual splendour and creating auras of celebration and festivity.
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In 2006, Sanjay Leela Bhansali participated as a judge on reality TV show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa alongside Farah Khan and Shilpa Shetty.
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In 2008, Sanjay Leela Bhansali staged the opera Padmavati, an adaptation of the 1923 ballet written by Albert Roussel.
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In 2010, Sanjay Leela Bhansali released Guzaarish, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, in which he made his debut in music direction.
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In 2012, Sanjay Leela Bhansali produced Rowdy Rathore, a remake of the Telugu film Vikramarkudu, starring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha and directed by Prabhu Deva.
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In 2013, Bhansali directed the tragic romance Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, starring Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh.
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The film garnered several award nominations for Sanjay Leela Bhansali including Best Film and Best Director nominations at Filmfare.
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At the 62nd National Film Awards, Sanjay Leela Bhansali received another National Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for the film.
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The descendants of Bajirao I and Mastani expressed their disapproval of this film, claiming excessive creative liberty by Sanjay Leela Bhansali causing wrongful portrayal of their ancestors.
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At the 63rd National Film Awards, Bajirao Mastani won 7 awards and Sanjay Leela Bhansali won the National Award for Best Director, in addition to winning Best Film and Best Director at Filmfare.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed the period drama film Padmaavat, jointly produced by him and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, and written by him.
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In 2022, Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed Gangubai Kathiawadi, a biographical crime drama based on a chapter of Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens of Mumbai.
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In March 2023, Sanjay Leela Bhansali launched his music label, Sanjay Leela Bhansali Music, alongside the release of the soundtrack of the Netflix series Heeramandi, on which he served as creator, director, and music composer.