Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films: Where melody meets drama

How Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who completes 25 years in cinema, has made music the mainstay of his narratives

A Sanjay Leela Bhansali film is like a long, layered song. His cinema combines the flourish of a high-pitched nautanki with the nuance of a Broadway musical. From the folksy dholak and the classical sitar to the operatic influence of violin and piano, his musical platter is always vibrant and diverse. At a time when songs are not assimilated into the narrative but remain adsorbed, Bhansali’s films are an exception. Apart from Vishal Bhardwaj, he is perhaps the only filmmaker who can sit behind the console to compose. He follows in the footsteps of the leaders of parallel cinema like Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, who understood the importance of music to convey ideas. Inspired by the likes of V. Shantaram, Mehboob Khan, K. Asif, Guru Dutt, and Raj Kapoor, Bhansali knows a melody can convey an emotion much better than dialogue. In Bajirao Mastani, he composed ‘Tujhe yaad kar liya hai aayat ki tarah, tu kayam rahegi rivayati ki tarah’, exemplifying the beauty of the inter-faith love story. Not to forget ‘Aaj ibadat’. Composed in raag Yaman, it once again displays multicultural strains.