Vi segnalo l'intervista concessa da Sanjay Leela Bhansali a Farhana Farook, pubblicata da Filmfare il 6 gennaio 2014. I don’t want more heartbreak:
'Was it a challenge to have Deepika Padukone as your muse [in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela], Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being your longstanding one?
I went to meet Deepika Padukone after the existing leading lady (Kareena Kapoor) left my film at a time when the set was already constructed. Deepika was unwell and had fever. (...) Her eyes were watery and she appeared beautiful. (...) Many felt that she wouldn’t be able to do justice to the role. But I realised here was an evolved actor. She’s intelligent and speaks little, saving all the energy for the shot. When she walked onto the set, she looked every inch my heroine. That was the same feeling I got when Ash or even Madhuri Dixit walked in. When you view Ash on camera you’re hypnotised. Deepika’s beauty is earthy and confident.
Was it difficult reining a ‘hyper’ Ranveer Singh?
(Laughs) If Red Bull was a person, it would be Ranveer Singh. You can come laughing and jumping on my set and can continue jumping till the evening, I don’t care. What I want is work. And that boy, though over-energised, is at the same time talented and focused. He got his character of Ram bhai, a village Romeo, bang on! He worked hard on his body. He gave good suggestions, never behuda (irrelevant) ones. I’d pamper him but after a point I’d say ‘enough is enough, go and give the shot!’ But I never had to tell him to concentrate. (...)
What are those subtexts [in your work]?
You are your childhood. You are what you’ve experienced, succumbed to or fought with and overcome. I can’t reveal why I made Khamoshi but it had personal elements. That’s why my films have power. Your work can only resonate if it comes from within. (...) Devdas is a tribute to my father’s alcohol bottle. Black was based on a story, which my father always wanted to script - the importance of words for human beings. Ram-Leela is a tribute to my mother.
In your films, tragedy assumes a celebratory flavour...
I’ve done samjhauta (compromise) with my pain long ago. So when you’re no longer fighting pain, you can express it well. Being unhappy and sad are two different things. Unhappiness is destructive. But sadness gives a perspective. (...) But in spite of having lived a sad life, I’m a happy person. I want to sing, dance...
Why do you say that?
I was a kid when my father took me to the studio. I realised this was my world. Make-up, dust, lights... that is my world. I want to express even the saddest moments in a grand way. I love life. I believe in opening the door of the dark studio and letting the light come in. That’s why I made Guzaarish. It said celebrate your destiny. I don’t look up to the skies. My God is in the catwalk.
Can you ever envision a film without candles, curtains and chandeliers?
No, no, I love them. (...) Had I not been a filmmaker I’d have been an architect. (...)
You come across as lonely...
I am lonely. Even when there are 150 people working on the set, I’m aware of my loneliness. When the shift is over, I like to sit on the set alone'.
