6 years of ‘Padmaavat’: Sanjay Leela Bhansali reacts to attacks on his films |

Sanjay Leela Bhansali recently celebrated six glorious years of his magnum opus’Padmaavat‘. The film starred Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in leading roles.
In an interview with Zoom, SLB recounted the challenging incident in which the film crew faced a stroke of right-wing members. SLB described the situation as intense and expressed concern for her mother during the ordeal. Having her mother by her side gave her comfort and recognized her as her pillar of strength. She constantly supported him and expressed her disbelief that such incidents would happen to her son, who, according to her, makes excellent films.

He also spoke about whether the attacks affected him, stating that it never did. He emphasized that letting that impact him would have marked the end of his career as a filmmaker. Instead, each instance of attack became a driving force for improving his work. SLG shared that he channeled his pain and anxiety into the creation of ‘Padmaavat’, believing that suffering has constantly acted as a catalyst for his creativity.

The director clarified that the film is inspired by the poem ‘Padmaavat’ by Malik Muhammad Jayasi and at the same time incorporates elements of real historical events. Expressing a lifelong fascination with Rani Padmavati, he admires her grace, dignity, courage and inner strength. The director revealed his long-standing desire to create a film that represents his life. Before the film, he took the opportunity to direct a stage musical version of Padmavati, an opera composed by Albert Rousse, in Paris in 2008.

When discussing the film’s casting, the director addressed whether the actors’ previous successes or failures influenced his decision. He stressed that the background of the actors did not influence his choice and expressed his satisfaction with the choice of these specific actors. Regardless of his past successes or failures, he stated that he loved these three actors and praised the quality of the performances they gave in his film.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali has announced a new project titled ‘Love and War’, which features a star cast including Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushaland Alia Bhatt. The announcement of the film was made on January 24 and its theatrical release is scheduled for Christmas 2025.