‘Sanjay Leela Bhansali still lives in a 3 bedroom house, wears khadi kurtas’; Manisha Koirala hails his simplicity, defends his ‘mood swings’

Manisha Koirala recently took a trip down the memory lane and reflected on how director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has changed over the years.

By: Entertainment Desk

Kochi | Updated: May 10, 2024 04:03 AM IST

3 min read

Manisha Koirala recently took a trip down the memory lane and reflected on how much directed Sanjay Leela Bhansali has changed over the years.

Actor Manisha Koirala with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Khamoshi (left) and Heeramandi. (Images: Express Archives, Manisha Koirala/Instagram)

Actor Manisha Koirala’s creative partnership with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali began even before he made his directorial debut. The two first worked together when she appeared in the lead role alongside Anil Kapoor in 1942: A Love Story, helmed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and co-written by Bhansali. Soon afterwards, when Bhansali made his directorial debut with Khamoshi: The Musical, it was Manisha whom he chose as the female lead to star alongside Salman Khan. After a gap of 28 years, the two have joined forces yet again, for the director’s first-ever streaming series, the period drama Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.

Recently, Manisha took a trip down memory lane and reflected on how Bhansali has changed over the years. “A lot has changed around him and for him, but at the same time, he remains the same. He is the same creative person who yearns to excel in his field. He is still that simple soul. No matter how opulent and grand the sets he makes, he still goes back to his simple 2-3 bedroom home in Versova where he lives. He still wears those khadi kurta-pajamas. He lives like that even though he creates the most grand sets, exquisite jewellery, and costumes. I admire that quality of his. He loves and thrives in cinema. He is still the same person I met during Khamoshi,” she recalled during a chat with Zoom.

Also read – Manisha Koirala opens up about Heeramandi’s oral sex scene featuring Shekhar Suman: ‘Everything that Sanjay Leela Bhansali does…’

When asked about his rumoured short temper, she said, “Who doesn’t get angry? I do. Whenever we come across celebrities, everyone expects us to be perfect and not human. It’s human to be angry, cry, feel frustrated,” she pointed out. “And for someone who lives, dreams, and breathes cinema, when others are not matching up to his level, who wouldn’t be frustrated? I worked with him back then and now… If you are an artist, you admire the person. What’s to lose? If he has mood swings, let him. What difference does it make to you? As long as he isn’t physically harming anyone, let him have his mood swings,” Manisha added.

Also read – Heeramandi: Sanjay Leela Bhansali directs the most offensive scene of his career; controversial Padmaavat climax has nothing on it

While Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is earning massive praise from certain quarters, it is also facing significant criticism for its perceived glorification of non-consensual sex, glamorisation of women’s suffering and aestheticisation of their pain.

In her review of the series, The Indian Express’ Shubhra Gupta, however, wrote, “It’s when Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Netflix show turns its eyes on the faded grandeur of its ‘Lahore ki ranis’ in their gilded cages, grime peeking out from behind their finery, that the show is most effective.”

From the homepage