Gulshan Devaiah says working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali can be ‘fun, test of patience’, reveals he waited in costume for 3 days to give a shot

Asked if he had moments where he felt overwhelmed by it all, Gulshan said, “No, not really, because I enjoyed even the waiting days. Sometimes, I would be in hair and costume for three days, and not be given a single shot. I would go and sit on the set, you understand his sensibility, how he works, what he likes and doesn’t like by just sitting there and observing things.” And Gulshan observed that even background extras on that film were given real jewellery to wear, and not cheap plastic knockoffs.

He continued, “If you don’t have patience, then it becomes difficult. And thankfully, I managed to find my patience. It didn’t bother me too much. Kasam se bata raha hoon, teen-teen din set pe jaate they, you’re ready, you’re on standby, but your shot is not ready… But the patience also has to be reasonable. His working style is like that, it’s very slow, very methodical, he takes his time. So, if you’re not patient, you will not fit in.” Gulshan said that if people are disorganised or ‘being idiotic’, then it’s perfectly valid to lose your patience and crack a whip, but he never argued with Bhansali.

The filmmaker recently denied allegations of being difficult to work with, when he told journalists at an event earlier this year, “There’s nothing like that. I’m not a task master, it’s the image the media has built upon me that I’m difficult to work with and that I’m temperamental.” Previously, actors such as Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor have also spoken about Bhansali’s working style.