Sanjay Leela Bhansali, is a highly acclaimed Indian film director. He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. Bhansali has adopted the middle name 'Leela' as a tribute to his mother, Leela Bhansali.
His debut film Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) with Manisha Koirala and Salman Khan was the touching narration of a daughter's struggle to communicate with her deaf mute parents. Acclaimed by all, the film garnered a bouquet of awards and Bhansali emerged as a director to watch out for.
His next film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) starring Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan was the story of a complex relationship depicted in a fairly unique manner for Bollywood.His next film Devdas (2002) starring Shah Rukh Khan was Bhansali's ode to India's most famous love story.
This musical and visual extravaganza received a standing ovation at Cannes, where it premiered. It won many awards and was India's official entry to the Oscars. Then came Black (2005), his most compelling film to date.
Time Magazine (Europe) selected the film as one of the 10 Best Movies of the Year 2005 from across the globe. The movie was positioned at number five.
His project Saawariya, starring Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji and debutantes Ranbir Kapoor (son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh) and Sonam Kapoor (daughter of actor Anil Kapoor). Saawariya was released on November9, 2007.
The film was panned by many critics, and it also bombed at the box-office.In July 2007 Sanjay Leela Bhansali bought the rights of a book written by Mayank Austen Soofi titled A Sudden Visit to Pakistan: Heera Mandi The Dream Home of The Whores.
The Times of India reports Bhansali is planning to make a film on Lahore's Heera Mandi, starring Rekha and Shabana Azmi.
In 2010 Bhansali released Guzaarish starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. He also made his debut in music direction for this film.
His current project is entitled Chenab Gandhi directed by Vibhu Puri and written by Bhavani Iyer, who also wrote for Black.
A departure from romance, this songless film revolves around three characters played by Amitabh Bachchan, Rajeev Khandelwal and Vidya Balan and centers around Indian freedom fighter, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Frontier Gandhi.
