Sanjay Leela Bhansali facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Bhansali in 2021
Born	(1963-02-24) 24 February 1963 (age 62) Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Filmmaker music composer
Years active	1996–present
Relatives	Sharmin Segal (niece)
Awards	Full list
Honours	Padma Shri (2015)
Signature

Sanjay Leela Bhansali (born 24 February 1963) is a famous Indian filmmaker. He works in Hindi cinema as a director, producer, writer, editor, and music composer. He has won many important awards, including seven National Film Awards and twelve Filmfare Awards. He was also nominated for a BAFTA Award. In 2015, the Indian government gave him the Padma Shri, which is a very high civilian honor. Bhansali is known for his beautiful visuals and musical style, especially in movies about historical periods.

Bhansali started directing with the musical film Khamoshi: The Musical (1996). He became very successful with romantic dramas like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002). Devdas won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. He won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for his drama Black (2005). His later films, Saawariya (2007) and Guzaarish (2010), did not do well at the box office. Guzaarish was the first film where he also composed the music. He also started his own production company, Bhansali Productions.

Bhansali became very successful again with the romantic tragedy Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013). He also directed top-grossing historical dramas like Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Padmaavat (2018). He won the National Film Award for Best Direction for Bajirao Mastani. He also won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for Padmaavat. More recently, he directed the true-story film Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022). This film earned him more National and Filmfare Awards. In 2024, Bhansali started his own music label, Bhansali Music. He also created and directed the historical drama series Heeramandi.

Early Life and Family

Sanjay Leela Bhansali was born on 24 February 1963 in Bhuleshwar, South Bombay. He grew up in a Gujarati-Jain family. His father, Navin, was a film producer. However, his family faced money problems. His mother, Leela, worked hard sewing clothes to support the family. Sanjay adopted his mother's name, Leela, as his middle name to honor her. He has shown respect for his father in many of his films. For example, in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), a character's habit of talking to his deceased father was inspired by Bhansali's own childhood. In Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022), a poster from his father's film, Jahazi Lutera (1957), can be seen.

Bhansali studied editing at the Film and Television Institute of India. His sister, Bela Bhansali Segal, is also a director. She directed Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi (2012), which Sanjay wrote. Bela's daughter, Sharmin Segal, became an actress in his production Malaal (2019). Sanjay also helped write and compose music for Malaal. Bhansali speaks Gujarati at home. He loves Gujarati food, music, literature, and architecture. He has also trained in Odissi, a classical Indian dance.

Career Highlights

Starting Out and Early Success (1989–2005)

Bhansali started his career helping other filmmakers. He was an assistant director for Parinda (1989). He also worked as a writer and assistant choreographer for 1942: A Love Story (1994). In 1996, he directed his first film, Khamoshi: The Musical. This film was about a daughter trying to talk with her deaf parents. It did not make a lot of money but was praised by critics. It won 5 Filmfare Awards.

He became well-known with the musical love story Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). This film starred Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan, and Ajay Devgn. It showed his unique style of beautiful visuals and festive scenes. The film was shown at the 1999 International Film Festival of India. It was a big success and won 4 National Film Awards and 8 Filmfare Awards.

His next film was the historical romantic drama Devdas (2002). It starred Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit. This film was Bhansali's tribute to the famous novel of the same name. It became the highest-earning film of that year. Devdas also received great reviews and won 10 Filmfare Awards. It won 5 awards at the 50th National Film Awards, including Best Popular Film. It was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Film and was India's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film was also shown at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. Time magazine even listed it as one of "The 10 Greatest Movies of the Millennium (Thus Far)".

His film Black (2005) starred Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji. This movie broke his own record by winning 11 Filmfare Awards. Time (Europe) magazine put it among the "10 Best Movies of the Year 2005". At the 53rd National Film Awards, Bhansali won his second National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for Black. In 2006, Bhansali was a judge on the TV reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.

Challenges and New Ventures (2007–2012)

Bhansali's next film, the musical romance Saawariya (2007), received mixed reviews and did not do well at the box office. In 2008, Bhansali directed an opera called Padmâvatî in Paris. It was very well received by international critics. In 2010, Bhansali released Guzaarish, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. This film was his first time composing music for a movie. Critics liked the film, and it performed reasonably well. Guzaarish earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.

In 2011, he was a judge on the Indian music talent show X Factor India. That same year, he produced the musical comedy My Friend Pinto, which did not do well. In 2012, Bhansali produced Rowdy Rathore. This action film was a big commercial success. The next year, he produced the romantic comedy Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi. This film also received good reviews but did not earn much money.

Becoming an Established Filmmaker (2013–Present)

Bhansali with Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone during the trailer launch of Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela in 2013.

In 2013, Bhansali directed Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. This tragic romance was based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It starred Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. Some groups had concerns about the film's original title. Despite these issues, the film was praised by critics and earned a lot of money worldwide. It became one of the highest-grossing films of 2013. Bhansali received several award nominations for this film. In the same year, Bhansali also started a TV show called Saraswatichandra.

The next year, he produced the sports film Mary Kom starring Priyanka Chopra. This film was shown at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. It was a success with both critics and audiences. It also won many awards, including a National Award for Best Popular Film. In 2015, he produced the action drama Gabbar Is Back, which also did well.

Bhansali's next big project was the historical romantic drama Bajirao Mastani (2015). This film was about the love story between Peshwa Baji Rao I and Mastani. Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone played the main roles. Priyanka Chopra played Bajirao's first wife. The film had been planned for many years. Some descendants of Bajirao I and Mastani expressed concerns about the film's historical accuracy. However, the film was released and received widespread praise. It became one of the highest-earning Indian films of all time. Bajirao Mastani won 7 awards at the 63rd National Film Awards. Bhansali won the National Award for Best Director. He also won Best Film and Best Director at Filmfare. The film was India's official entry for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2016, he produced the Marathi film Laal Ishq.

The President, Pranab Mukherjee, presenting the Padma Shri Award to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, at a Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on 30 March 2015.

Bhansali directed the historical drama film Padmaavat (2018). He also wrote and produced it. The film starred Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmini, Shahid Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh. During filming, some groups protested and caused damage, claiming the film showed historical facts incorrectly. Despite these challenges, Padmaavat became the highest-grossing film of 2018. It received great reviews. Bhansali won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction and the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director for this film.

In 2022, Bhansali directed Gangubai Kathiawadi. This film was a true-story crime drama based on a chapter from a book. It starred Alia Bhatt as Gangubai. The film was released in February 2022 and received widespread praise. It won 11 Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Bhansali. It also won five National Film Awards, including Best Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay for Bhansali.

In March 2023, Bhansali started his own music label, Bhansali Music. This happened with the release of the soundtrack for the Netflix series Heeramandi. He created, directed, and composed music for this series. The series had a strong cast and was very popular on Netflix. It has been renewed for a second season.

Bhansali is currently working on a romantic drama film called Love & War. It will star Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal. This film is expected to be released in 2026.

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Editor	Composer	Notes
1989	Parinda	Assistant	No	No	No	No
1994	1942: A Love Story	No	Yes	No	No	No
1996	Khamoshi: The Musical	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
1999	Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
2002	Devdas	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
2005	Black	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
2007	Saawariya	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
2010	Guzaarish	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
2011	My Friend Pinto	No	No	Yes	No	No
2012	Rowdy Rathore	No	No	Yes	No	No
	Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
2013	Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2014	Mary Kom	Creative	No	Yes	Yes	No
2015	Gabbar Is Back	No	No	Yes	No	No
	Bajirao Mastani	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
2016	Laal Ishq	No	No	Yes	No	No	Marathi film
2018	Padmaavat	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
2019	Malaal	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
2021	Tuesdays and Fridays	No	No	Yes	No	No
2022	Gangubai Kathiawadi	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2026	Love & War	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Filming

Television

Reality Shows

Stage Productions

Music Albums

• Sukoon (2022)
• Khadaan (2025)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Sanjay Leela Bhansali para niños