Friday, September 14, 2007

Sawariya is an intense love story: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

You went through some legal trauma in 2006 when a furniture dealer accused you of not paying her dues?

It’s always been important for me to fight for the truth. If a media crazy person attacks me I’ll fight back even more strongly.No matter what film I’ve made so far, I’ve never got involved in any monetary transactions. For Black, it was Applause Entertainment who were my financial partners while I handled the creativity.

Any monetary grievance should have been addressed to Applause. So why were you hounded?

Because the lady in question needed access to the media.. and what better medium of media recognition than a well-known director? So far I’ve kept mum and trusted in our judicial system. In fact I want to thank this lady for making me stronger.

How do you feel about 2006?

Last year started for me with all the awards for Black. All the hard work came to fruition. Awards are important because they endorse your hard work. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re better than the other nominations. But they make me feel very good.

And three of my films Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas and Black won lots of awards.. Then I went through another level of excitement while recording the songs of Sawariya.

You think Sawariya too will make a grand sweep at the awards?

(Laughs) I would love it if it if does. But the intention is never to make films for awards. You make the film you want to.

I’ve had a glimpse at Saawariya. It looks completely different from your other films.
I think it takes me quite a long time to decide the atmosphere and khushboo of a film. That process takes me more than a year. And I need to take a different path every day. The intention isn’t to make money, but to do what comes naturally to me.

What motivated Sawariya?

The concept is unlike anything I’ve done so far. I wanted to move from the deep intensity of Black to the absolute joie de vivre of Sawariya. After Black I wanted to see a flower bloom and the sun shine. Of course it’s an intense love story. But the sparkle of youthful love is so
invigorating. That’s what I wanted to experience.As I make Sawariya I feel very alive. I don’t want to make a ‘popcorn khao, ghar jao’ film. With Sawariya I feel all my senses tingling again.

But the presence of two high-profile star children could colour your film’s profile during marketing.

If I’m making a film about young love I can’t cast veterans. It had to be newcomers. And why not Ranbir and Sonam?

They’re astonishing discoveries. I didn’t make Sawariya to launch Ranbir and Sonam. But yes, it does them give them a chance to prove their worth. Their freshness adds a lot to the love story. They do come from important film families.

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