9 Years of Ram-Leela: Sanjay Leela Bhansali says, it was his most violent film | Hindi Movie News

Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, which turned 9 today was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s toughest film. Recalls SLB, “I’ve agonized over every single frame. Until the last minute I kept working on it. They had to literally drag me away from the editing.”

While many aspects of the film caught people’s attention it is the aggression and the action that were the talking point. Says SLB, “Before Ram-Leela there was nothing more than a slap in my films. In fact action director Sham Kaushal would complain in every film, ‘Why call me for action direction for just a slap?’. This time in Ram-Leela we had enough action to make Sham Kaushal happy.”

Guns, which form an integral part of the violent love story, were never before seen in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. The film’s title is preceded by a subtitle which reads ‘Goliyon Ki Raas Leela’. That just about says it all.

To convey the sexual attraction between Ranveer and Deepika, Bhansali just had to explain to them what he wanted. “They had never played such unabashed characters. Once in a while Deepika would get taken aback by her character’s uninhibited behaviour. But she would convey exactly what I wanted. Both of them are marvelous actors. They made the expression of love so effortless and magical. They have conveyed the purest form of love.”

And yet lovers Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh don’t really sleep together in the film. Says Bhansali, “That’s the irony, which took me away from the original Shakespearean play. For me, it was important to show that the lovers could only be united completely in death. I wanted to hold back the consummation of their love.”

He further reveals, “It was a bright happy colourful film. I returned to my Hum…Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas style of filmmaking. Ram-Leela came after the failure of two of my films. We had worked with equal passion on Saawariya and Guzaarish. Both the films are as precious to me as Ram-Leela. But somehow our efforts did not connect with the audience. That broke my heart. I got back to direction determined to get back my audience. I needed Ram-Leela to reach out to the the widest possible audience. Not that I made Ram-Leela to prove anything. I made the film I enjoyed making and I hoped audiences would share my pleasure.”