WHY SANJAY LEELA BHANSALI MAKES HIT FILMS

‘Sanjayji is so spontaneous that you come to know immediately whether the dialogue or the script has touched him or not.’What is the secret to the success of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films Devdas, Black, Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat, Gangubai Kathiawadi?Prakash Kapadia, 60, has been working with Bhansali for 20 years now, dreaming up beautiful scenes and penning dramatic dialogues to ensure his movies charm audiences.

Kapadia tells “One day, I reached Bhansali’s office and he told me to give him the script of Padmaavat. So I asked him to give me 10 minutes. Then I went to him and narrated the entry of Khilji. He was so happy, he came out of his office and told everyone to leave whatever they were doing, and announced that the next film would be Padmaavat.”

The first of an enchanting two-part interview:

Whose idea was it to make Gangubai Kathiawadi?

Sanjayji was planning a film (Inshallah), which did not materialise, and we already had the first draft of Gangubai written by his assistant (Utkarshini Vashishtha).

He gave it to me to rewrite it.

Since Alia (Bhatt) was going to do the other film, it was already decided that she would do this film. So I wrote the script keeping her in mind. I knew her strengths. Plus, Sanjayji had done a lot of sessions with Alia for the previous film and he had given me a lot of inputs about her.

Are you present on the sets during the making of the films you’ve written?

Yes, I always go on the sets, whether it is Sawariyaa or Black because when an actor or director is stuck on the sets, as a writer, I may come up with something new.

Sometimes Sanjayji wants a new dialogue or a scene improvised, so I have to be there to write it.

There are some sequences we write on the spot.

For instance, when Alia transformed into Gangubai and dressed in the white sari, I suddenly thought of this line: ‘Kehte hain Kamathipura mein kabhi amavasya ki raat nahin hoti, kyon ki wahan Gangubai rehti hain.’

I told Sanjayji. He liked it and we added it right there.

Gangubai Kathiawadi has many hardhitting dialogues like ‘ Arey jab shakti, sampati aur sadbuddhi yeh teeno hi aurtein hai, toh in mardo ko kiss baat ka guroor’ or ‘Kuwari kisine chhoda nahin aur shreemati kissine banaya nahin. How do such lines come to your mind?

If you stay in a particular area, you know about some things.

Like, if you stay close to a masjid, you will know how to say the azaan since you listen to it every day.

I am always surrounded with people who like beautiful things. Even my director is like that. Therefore, I have to write beautiful things.

The first dialogue is from my one-act play, Manusmriti. I thought it was appropriate in this film, so I used it.

I have used decent language in the film, so it is bit flowery, and is not the typical Kamathipura language.

From the first draft written by the assistant to the last draft written by me, most of the scenes have been the same.

But I have written the Ajay Devgn scenes as well as the dialogues.

I like to write things which are beautiful.

If you see Mother India, Nargis’ character lives in so much in poverty that she sells utensils to buy food for her children. But the altaa on her feet, her lipstick and bindi are intact. I like those things.

In the olden days, the kotha was a beautiful place.

Young boys from rich families were sent to kothas to learn etiquette.

You have written historicals -- Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat and Tanhaji: The Unsung Hero.

The first film I wrote was Devdas.

After that, I did Black, which is a biopic on Helen Keller.

I had written a play on her in Gujarati and that I made in Hindi.

Sawaariya was a fictional story.

Bajirao Mastani was a historical, which I wrote right after Devdas. But because of some casting issues (Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai were supposed to star in the film, but they opted out), it went on a backburner.

After 10 years, we decided to do it.

After that, we did Padmaavat because we thought this is the right age for us to run around and do a huge film like Padmaavat where you will have to take a megaphone and give instructions to the huge cast during a war sequence.

After that, I wrote a Marathi film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali. During its making, I met (Director) Om Raut, who asked me to write Tanhaji.

It was supposed to be in Marathi, but after writing it, we thought the budget of the film is huge and it will be difficult to recover it. So we decided to make in Hindi.

All historicals are like biopics. They require a lot of research.

Do you have a role in the casting process?

Sanjayji shares everything that he is doing with everyone in the office, and asks them what they think about it.

He listens to everyone, but later, he decides.

After working for years with him, I know his process and he knows mine.

When you write for Bhansali, what are the things that you have to keep in mind? How easy it is to please him? When we were shooting for Bajirao, I started working on Padmaavat.

I had not written anything, but the process had already started in my mind.

One day, I reached Bhansali’s office and he told me to give him the script of Padmaavat. So I asked him to give me 10 minutes.

Then I went to him and narrated the entry of Khilji.

He was so happy, he came out of his office and told everyone to leave whatever they were doing, and announced that the next film would be Padmaavat.

I took five days -- and that’s a lot of time -- to write the speech that Alia gives in Azad Maidan in Gangubai.

When I reached the sets, they were shooting.

I read out the scene after the shoot was

over.

After he heard the speech, he was in tears because of the dialogue,’Aapki izzat ek baar gayi toh gayi, hum toh roz raat ko izzat bechti hain, saali khatam hi nahi hoti’.

He told me,’ Kamal ka thought hai Prakash bhai, aapse jyaada izzat hai hamare paas’.

He said the dialogue was worth five days of writing because it would work like magic in theatres.

Sanjayji is so spontaneous that you come to know immediately whether the dialogue or the script has touched him or not.

Once I finish writing, I always narrate to him. If he doesn’t like it, I change it.

But if I am convinced what I have written is right, I tell him a second time and put my point across. But still if he doesn’t agree, I listen to him because he’s the captain of the ship.

There are no ego hassles between us. The answer lies with his writer, Prakash Kapadia, and he explains it here.

How do Bhansali and you decide on the next film?

It is his suggestion because he thinks like a director as well as the producer. He has a better understanding of these things.

If I think, I will decide just based on the subject.

But he knows whether it’s the right time to make it, whether we will get right casting, whether we will be able to generate money to make the film, if a corporate joins the film, what will be their opinion...he thinks of all this.

Which is your favourite Bhansali film?

It is yet to come.

You started working with Bhansali after Khamoshi and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. You did not work on Guzaarish and Goliyon Ki Raas Leela: Raam Leela. Why?

Sawaariya did not do well.

The next film was not finalised, it was taking time and I needed money.

I can’t ask him (Bhansali) to pay my bills every month.

I get paid for whatever I work I do.

And as you know, the writer puts as much time as the director, but the pay is not high.

My son was studying at Symbiosis and it was a difficult period for me.

So I did television series like Buddha, Gulaal and the Marathi film Ghar Shrimantacha.

Bhansali allowed me to carry on with that work even though we had started Guzaarish together at the beginning.

You have never worked on a film produced by him and not directed by him, like Mary Kom, My Friend Pinto, Rowdy Rathore, Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, Laal Ishq, Malal.

He wants me to write only for him.

Plus, I like working on films and subjects that he makes.

Our wavelengths match.

You have immense respect for Amitabh Bachchan and Ranveer Singh.

When I worked with Amitabh Bachchan in Black, I was very happy.

Everyone from all over India wants to work with him and I got the chance.

No doubt he is a great actor, but the reason I liked working with him was that when he is works on a Hindi film, he asks for the script in Hindi.

I write in Hindi, and then someone types it in English and give it to the actors to learn their dialogues.

So I liked that he reads his dialogues in Hindi.

The second reason is that if he makes even a small change in the script, he asks the writer for his permission.

Like, when we were shooting for Black, there is a scene where Amitabh gets angry with Rani’s (Mukerji) character Michelle.

In the dialogues that I had written, there was no anger sequence. He just tells Michelle, ‘Tumhare dimaag mein kuch nahi jaata.’

Amitji asked me if he could add anger to the scene.

I told him he doesn’t need to ask me.

He said, ‘You have written it, so I need your permission to change it.’

I was very pleased by that.

Ranveer Singh is very lively on the sets. You don’t feel the pressure when he’s there.

Normally, sets have an intense atmosphere, with everyone running about and shouting.

Writing on the sets is not easy.

But Ranveer lightens the atmosphere.

His working style is different.

He shuts himself in a room to understand to get into the skin of the character.

When I narrate a script to the actor, I don’t want anyone in the room.

Sanjaybhai gives me that freedom. I can narrate to the star and then he comes inside the room once it is done.

When I first narrated a script to Ranveer for 135 minutes, I asked him how he liked it.

He said, let’s not talk, just sit in this room.

He wanted to absorb everything he heard.

He said, ‘Bahar jaaoonga toh mein bikhar jaaoonga, so let me absorb everything.’

Tell us about your next project Baiju Bawra.

I have completed the first draft. I need time to sit with Sanjaybhai and narrate it to him, but he is busy with Heeramandi.

The casting is not fixed, but Ranveer and Alia’s names keep popping up.

Tell us about yourself.

My grandfather was from Gandhiji’s village, Ghodbhunder. He came to Mumbai and we settled here.

I took part in drama in school.

My friend’s father was in the Indian National Theatre, so I would watch plays.

My uncle owned a library. There were a lot of Gujarati books and English novels translated in Gujarati, so I got to read a lot.

After college, I joined IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association). I have participated in their competitions.

I have won the K A Abbas trophy for three years for my writing.

I won the Munshi trophy a lot of times too.

My father was my strength. He would wake up at 5 am, make tea for me and listen to the scene I had written.

Whenever I left for work, he would climb down four floors to see me off; we don’t have an elevator.

I still have not earned enough to afford a house with a lift.

After graduating, writing plays would not earn me enough money.

I thought I would not be able to do a 9 to 5 salaried job, so I started making washing powder.

I also worked at a friend’s factory where they made diamond tools.

I liked the work, but he did not pay well; I only got Rs 500 a month. In three years, it became Rs 900 a month.

From Bhuleshwar (south Mumbai), we shifted to Vashi (Navi Mumbai).

I started selling plastic products.

In 2002, I left that because I started writing as a full-time job.

How did you start writing for films?

Dariya Chhoru was the first film in Gujarati that I wrote; the producer and actors were my friends so we decided to make a film.

I got the confidence to write a film because of Shafi Inamdar.

I was writing a play called Chakravarti for him, on which Dariya Chhoru is based. When I read out a few scenes from the play to Shafi Inamdar, he told me this is not a play, this is a film.

So later, we adapted it into a film. The movie was good, but we didn’t make money.

JD Majethia was my college friend. He was the hero of the film. He kept a trial show where he invited Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Bhansali was a busy man then -- his film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam had completed 100 days -- so he said he would come for some time and leave.

But he loved it and saw the entire film.

He told JD, ‘Film ka hero tu nahi hai, film ka writer hai/’

Bhansali and I belong to the same caste. In fact, we have lived in the same area in Bhuleshwar, but did not know each other.

Our fathers knew each other, they were gym buddies.

Anyway, he later called me to his office.

He wanted me to write Dariya Chhoru in Hindi, but for some reason, it did not happen.

He asked me to write Devdas.

When Bhansali offered you such a magnum opus with stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit, were you nervous?

Shah Rukh Khan was the life on the sets.

He brought energy on the sets.

He was what Ranveer Singh is like today.

He likes story, drama, huge sets and grandeur, which I was bringing to the film.

After the day’s shoot, he would ask me, ‘Kal ka scene kya hai?’ and would make me narrate it and do a rehearsal.

I would love that.

When a film like Bajirao Mastani gets stuck for 12 years, does it get frustrating?

I was very frustrated.

I thought if we don’t do it now, would it work later?

A lot of people approached me for the script, but my principles didn’t allow me to give anyone else.

I wrote a film for Ravi Chopra, but he fell sick and passed away.

Are you paid well now?

I live in Vashi out of choice.

I sold the 1,000 square feet house in Bhuleshwar.

Times are changing.

People have started understanding the worth of the writer, that he is the first person who starts on a blank page.

Narration is not an easy job; you have to keep a person engrossed for two hours.

We are getting paid better now.