Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Actor, Director, Writer, Producer, Music director, Associate director
Mumbai, India
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and music director. One of the critically acclaimed filmmaker, Bhansali is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards and ten Filmfare Awards. In 2015, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award.
He made his directorial debut with Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) for which he received Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film. He rose to prominence in Indian cinema with commercially successful and widely acclaimed romantic drama Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), the romantic drama Devdas (2002) —which received nomination for Best Foreign Film at British Academy of Film & Television Awards (BAFTA)— and the drama Black (2005), for all of which he received multiple Best Director Award and Best Film Award along with additional Critics Award for Best Film for the latter at Filmfare Awards, and multiple National Film Awards for the latter two. However, he followed it by directing consecutive commercially flop films Saawariya (2007) and Guzaarish (2010).
This changed with his adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet —the tragic romance Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013)— opened to positive reviews and strong box-office collections for which he received several awards and nominations. His home production biographical sports film Mary Kom (2014) made him receive his third National Film Award. His historical romance Bajirao Mastani (2015) received critically acclaim and emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, for which he won National Film Award for Best Direction, as well as Best Director and Best Film Awards at Filmfare.
He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. He is the founder of a production house, Bhansali Productions. Bhansali has adopted the middle name "Leela" as a tribute to his mother, Leela Bhansali.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and music director. One of the critically acclaimed filmmaker, Bhansali is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards and ten Filmfare Awards. In 2015, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award.
He made his directorial debut with Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) for which he received Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film. He rose to prominence in Indian cinema with commercially successful and widely acclaimed romantic drama Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), the romantic drama Devdas (2002) —which received nomination for Best Foreign Film at British Academy of Film & Television Awards (BAFTA)— and the drama Black (2005), for all of which he received multiple Best Director Award and Best Film Award along with additional Critics Award for Best Film for the latter at Filmfare Awards, and multiple National Film Awards for the latter two. However, he followed it by directing consecutive commercially flop films Saawariya (2007) and Guzaarish (2010).
This changed with his adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet —the tragic romance Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013)— opened to positive reviews and strong box-office collections for which he received several awards and nominations. His home production biographical sports film Mary Kom (2014) made him receive his third National Film Award. His historical romance Bajirao Mastani (2015) received critically acclaim and emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, for which he won National Film Award for Best Direction, as well as Best Director and Best Film Awards at Filmfare.
He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. He is the founder of a production house, Bhansali Productions. Bhansali has adopted the middle name "Leela" as a tribute to his mother, Leela Bhansali.