SLB and his passion and penchant for gorgeous leads and striking frames

The name Sanjay Leela Bhansali suggests grandeur especially after his last two successes lsquoBajirao Mastanirsquo and lsquoPadmaavatrsquo But the name also represents heartache and estrangement Arguably the only film of the filmmaker to leave me with a smile is his debut lsquoKhamoshi The Musicalrsquo The rest have had conflicted thoughts and emotions in the way they concluded But the man indeed knows how to stage a scene and surreally present his leading womenHis upcoming lsquoGangubai Kathiawadirsquo is about a naive girl sucked into the dungeon of prostitution But the frames are just as exquisite The filming is finally finished and itrsquos apt to talk about his gorgeous leads and striking canvas How tall will Alia Bhatt stand is something wersquoll have an answer on soonManisha Koirala Khamoshi The Musical 1996First films are always special Especially if itrsquos a film as soothing and stunning as this musical The title uses silence and music in the same line and breath and itrsquos a beautiful ode to both The enchanting Koirala plays Annie Braganza whorsquos born to deaf and mute parents When her father Nana Patekar just as effective sans dialogues senses she can hear he beams with joy This is just 15 minutes into the film and we know how endearing this maiden attempt would be Koirala was gentle and gorgeous in every frame and just as furious and frustrated at her parentsrsquo stubbornness She falls in love with Raj Salman Khan at his restrained charming best who brings music to her life Ironically Annie has brought music to her parentsrsquo life too How can one not smileAishwarya Rai Bachchan Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 1999It has often been argued that Bhansali has presented Bachchan in a way nobody else has The words have come out of the filmmakerrsquos mouth that directors donrsquot understand the aura of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan the power she can generate on screen In many of her films shersquos trying to find something from the director In this love triangle she found a role she could recollect even after a lifetime Nandini is a firecracker shersquos freespirited ferocious and also emotionally fragile Her romance with Sameer Salman Khan at his comedic and emotional best is all through eyes at times naughty at times coy Her marriage to Vanraj Ajay Devgn changes how she perceives love The culmination of this saga leaves us conflicted about Nandinirsquos decision but the gorgeousness of Bachchan and Budapest shown as Italy compensate for the confusionAishwarya Rai Bachchan Devdas 2002The success of his last film inspired SLB to aim for something bigger and grander for his next film lsquoDevdasrsquo came out after Bachchan had turds like lsquoDhaai Akshar Prem Kersquo and lsquoAlbelarsquo Devdas and Parorsquos story is possibly one of the most tragic ones One suffers emotionally the other emotionally and physically both Booze becomes the weapon of selfinflicted harm that ultimately and predictably drives him towards a painful lonely death What keeps this ambitiously mounted drama alive is the way Bachchan approaches the character of Paro with immense help from Bhansalirsquos aesthetics and regard for grandeur Every frame and moment of this exorbitant saga suggests audacity and allureRani Mukerji Black 2005The name could be metaphorical The central character of Michelle a stunning Rani Mukerji is deaf mute and blind Her eccentric teacher Debraj Sahai A commanding Amitabh Bachchan is her guiding light Their montages arenrsquot punctured by unnecessary songs and monologues There isnrsquot a place for monologues in this story since the one in the process of transformation is learning how to respond It may not be Bhansalirsquos best itrsquos easily one of Mukerjirsquos finest hour in filmsAishwarya Rai Bachchan Guzaarish 2010The name suggests plea Itrsquos the plea of the brooding broken protagonist named Ethan a magician left paralytic after a planned mishap by a clandestine rival Hrithik Roshan in the same frame as his actresses can overpower them with his Greekgod beauty and itrsquos appropriate that the filmmaker opts for Bachchan for the third time Roshan and Bachchanrsquos collective radiance and robustness elevate this drama from being tiresome The filmmaker chooses Goa for the second time in his career for his story after a defining debut but the frames are more extravagant Equally extravagant is the leading lady as Ethanrsquos nurse Sofia Ethan remarks the day she wears a skirt to work hersquoll start walking The man may have lost everything he once owned he hasnrsquot lost the ability to flirt and also the hope of being able to stand on his feet again This is the power of her beauty all she has to do is say a YesDeepika Padukone The TrilogyPadukone 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 Leelarsquo echoes 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 Inside Photos Alia Bhatt Meezaan Jafri and many more grace Sanjay Leela Bhansalirsquos birthday bash