How to spot a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie!

Every director comes with his own brand of histrionics that tell us what to expect from him/her on the big screen. If Yash Chopra was the baap of chiffon-clad ladies, Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) is the granddad of grandeur. His heroines are beautiful, sophisticated, highly made-up and power-packed. As his ambitious love story ‘Ram Leela’ gets ready for a November release, we tell you how you can spot an SLB movie. Read on!

Lehengas and ghagras:
His heroines are rustic beauties in colouful ghagras and sexy backl-ess cholis that make the hero go bonkers over them. Between Aishwarya Rai-Bacchan of ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ and Deepika Padukone of ‘Ram Leela’, there are about a hundred brilliantly cut, ethnic lehengas to choose from! While Ash’s looks was copied by brides-to-be, Deepu’s ghangras are going to be the hot pick during the upcoming Navratri season. The leggy lass looks stunning in maroon lehenga as she does the garba in the lastest song ‘Nagada Baja Dhol’.

Heroines are powerful:
SLB never makes his heroines a mere prop, he gives them enough clout to take on the hero. That’s a rare feat to achieve in Bollywood, which is predominantly male. Whether it was Manisha Koirala of ‘Khamoshi’ or Ash of ‘Devdas’, they were multidimensional. Depsite ‘Devdas’ being about Shah Rukh Khan, his direction gives enough space for Ash and Madhuri to make the movie their own.

Opulent sets:
This man needs his sets to speak a language of their own. He likes them classy, grand and massive. We all know that Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s classic ‘Devdas’ is a brilliant novel, but it’s SLB’s grandeur that brings out Sarat Chandra’s legendary characters. When a devasted Paaro runs down her grand staircase with her sari flowing in the wind to unite with her lover, you can see flashes of brilliance in terms of set details. SLB has painfully recreated all the elements needed to make the house look like that of a rich zamindar’s. Brilliant! Even Ram Leela looks like one visual treat and we can’t wait to watch how he combines the rawness of violence with the charm of romance!

Period drama feel:
His movies give out a vintage feel, even if they are not supposed to! In ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’, the whole setting looks like it’s from the days gone by as SLB uses an old London bridge, an abandoned farm, a classic Irish dance part and an elegant opera setting as the backdrop for crucial elements of his narrative. ‘Devdas’ is a period drama and he delivered it so well. ‘Ram Leela’ looks like one too, so will he hit the nail on its head this time around as well?

Great music:
Yeah, this man knows his stuff. He might not churn out club hits that get remixed by twenty DJs, but his songs are soothing and melodious. Although only two songs of ‘Ram Leela’ have come out so far and we aren’t feeling good about either, we are ready to wait for the remaining songs before judging him. His past record, however, is of his songs being blockbuster hits. The ‘Dola Re’ song is still danced to at weddings, while ‘Aaj Mei Upar’ can pep you up even now! In fact, ‘Tadap Tadap Ke’ is one of the most touching heartbreak songs from Bollywood.