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The filmmaker talks about being born into adversity, but never letting that anguish hold him back from aspiring for more.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali, a filmmaker who has navigated the unpredictable tides of the film industry for over 25 years, has come to terms with the volatile nature of existence and the price one pays for being an artiste. In his own words, Bhansali is a man of multitudes — a man full of contradictions. During a recent conversation with Anupama Chopra for The Hollywood Reporter India, the filmmaker reflected on blessings and curses, revealing how they shape both his personal life and creative journey.
Speaking about how he channels his pain into his work, Bhansali said: "Every artist has to go through humiliation. If there is no humiliation, there is no anger in you about the wrong or the right that you have gone through. There is no expression. There is nothing you want to say. The expression comes out of angst."
He explained how he has come to embrace the suffering that life has dealt him. "I've been very blessed to be born to anguish. I’ve been blessed to be born in that 300 square-feet, colourless chawl. I've been blessed to have been born to a father who had left unfulfilled dreams behind because it gives me so much grit that no other filmmaker can find it."
Despite the adversities, Bhansali never paused to ponder how he would achieve his dreams. Instead, he pushed forward, accepting the contradictions of being an artiste. "You have to understand that I am very cursed and very blessed. I'm very loved, and I'm very hated. I’m very successful, and I’m very unsuccessful. That is the contradiction that makes me what I am. I will always continue to be."
In his opinion, these dichotomies define him, and he has made peace with the fact that others may not fully understand him. "It's okay; people don't have to understand you," he signed off.