25 Years of Sanjay Leela Bhansali: Deepika's note for the filmmaker is all heart

Sanjay Leela Bhansali completed 25 glorious years in Hindi Cinema on August 9 He began his career as a filmmaker with lsquoKhamoshi The Musicalrsquo in 1996 and soon became a bonafide visionary of the fraternity His cinema is rooted in grandeur and relentless passion coloured with stunning visuals and gorgeous framesDeepika Padukone has worked with Bhansali thrice The fate of a fourth collaboration hangs in the balance if it can survive the stains of a question mark that has been imposed on endless headlines recently On his silver jubilee anniversary the actress shared an Instagram story and penned her emotions to express her joyShe wrote ldquo9th November 2007 My debut film Om Shanti Om was pitted against Sanjay Leela Bhansalirsquos Saawariya And as grateful as I was And I still amI cannot think of another female actor who has been launched in the same manner as I was I also remember thinking to myself at the time that I would never be good enoughto be a Sanjay Leela Bhansali muserdquoShe added ldquo Fast forward to 2012 I was extremely unwell and laid up in bed I received a call from my management saying lsquoSanjay Leela Bhansali wants to meet yoursquo I said lsquoWhatrsquo They said lsquoYes He is doing a film and would really like to meet yoursquo lsquoI would do cartwheels to go and see him right away but I canrsquot get out of bed right nowrsquo I said The next thing I know he was on his way to see merdquoldquoWhat I cherish even more though is the influence our collaboration has had on me personally I say this without a shadow of a doubt that I wouldnrsquot be half the person I am today if it wasnrsquot for Sanjay Leela Bhansalirdquo she wrote adding ldquoAs he embarks on the next phase of this most incredible journey I look forward to creating many more memorable and iconic characters together but more importantly I wish him good health peace of mind and happinessalwaysrdquo she continuedPadukone essays ache with such conviction that we instantly relate to her anguish She did that in the careerdefining lsquoCocktailrsquo and then in her collaborations with Bhansali The first one being another adaptation of Romeo and Juliet After the failure of his last two films it was time for the filmmaker to revisit what he may have wished to leave behind lsquoGoliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leelarsquoechoes the sentiments of his second saga Leela is not very much different from Nandini their responses to advances and outbursts at their men are pretty much similar But Ram and Leelarsquos romance is far more rustic and arousing Their passion is gratifying and hate for each other in the later portions explosive This is noholdsbarred at its Bhansali bestIn lsquoBajirao Mastanirsquo SLB silences Padukone and fixes his camera on her piquant face and haunting eyes Even Peshwa Bajirao the tireless Ranveer Singh is instantly enamoured by her striking presence The hushed whispers between the surreptitious lovers add more depth to their impassioned romance Debatably the other actress of this tragic story Kashibai stole the show Priyanka Choprarsquos greatest moments on screen have been seen in this film where she channels childlike innocence sparkling intensity and the envy of another woman in her husbandrsquos life And in two of these emotions she doesnrsquot utter a word lsquoBajirao Mastanirsquo is surely a film of minimum effort maximum effectlsquoPadmaavatrsquo is mostly a Ranveer Singh showreel but the story cannot exist without the Queen Padukone plays Rani Padmaavati whose beauty catches the fancy of a beast Alauddin Khilji No filmmaker in recent memory derives pleasure out of putting his actors in deep pain For one more time the story culminates in tragedy The act of Jauhar by Padmaavati and several other queens is established as a sign of their freedom They would rather sacrifice their lives than be ruled by a ruthless animal Even while performing the act of selfimmolation the gorgeousness of the actress stays intact Itrsquos not just the face what also counts is the gaze of the man behind the lenses Beauty always lies in the eyes of the beholderAlso Read Experience of a lifetime Alia Bhatt pens an emotional note as Gangubai Kathiawadi wraps up