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Sanjay Leela Bhansali has opened up about his creative process, and said that his work is driven by a desire to provide audiences with an experience rather than merely generating profit. Talking about his recent project Heeramandi, he reflected on envisioning the period environment, and said that despite drawing deeply from his imagination, he would like to evoke a sense of familiarity.
In an interview with Galatta Plus, Bhansali said that even though Heeramandi is set in a historical location, it is based on his imagination. He said, “It will still look like Lahore to you. I think it will still look like a road that I would want to go and buy ittar from. It will still have the bricks which I feel have been baked enough and been drained of all the texture which is just so fascinating to look at. I still have dressed it up with fountains and the works of painted floors.”
He went on to say that the same goes for all his films. Even though Gangubai Kathiawadi set in Kamathipura, it’s a world born from his imagination. Recalling the film’s essence, he shared that the final procession sequence symbolises his departure from that area, and said, “In my mind, it was the most romantic place to be in.”
The filmmaker continued, “I come from that world. I’ve always watched films with pimps and prostitutes around in the theatres. My cinema will always have that dramatic touch and that larger-than-life approach, which is not subtle, which is not delicate, but it is heartfelt. It’ll have a dignity of it being told on the screen because I work on the visual of it. It has to be worthy of being there because I’m reliving a certain moment of my life, of this life, maybe past life.”
SLB stated that he doesn’t make films for money, but to share his perspective. “ I am responsible for giving my audience an experience, and I will give them the fullest of mine. I’m not here to make money, I’m here to make a film. I’m here to make an experience for you,” he said. The filmmaker has recently been criticised for not adhering to historical fact in Heeramandi; residents of the real-life location, citizens of Pakistan, and others, have claimed that the actual Hira Mandi bears no resemblance to Bhansali’s creation.
Heeramandi is currently streaming on Netflix. The film stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Sanjeeda Sheikh and others in pivotal roles.
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