Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic drama film Devdas recently completed 14 years. Looking back at the making of the 2002 film, Bhansali said he would cast superstar Shah Rukh Khan again if he ever decides to remake the movie.
While he was at first hesitant to work with the actor, Bhansali feels Khan’s acting was flawless throughout the film.
“He was flawless. Shah Rukh understood the character without losing his spontaneity. Obviously, the pressure of matching up to Saigal sahab (K L Saigal) and Dilip sahab (Dilip Kumar) was there. But he never allowed them to bog him down. I don’t know what to say about him. He left me speechless,” said Bhansali, singing praises for the Dilwale star.
“I had my doubts before working with him. But it was his most endearing and honest performance. After seeing him, you’d want to embrace him. The performance came amid all his personal problems. He was able to project the personal turmoil on screen. If I were to makeDevdas again I’d still cast only him.”
Asked how relevant Devdas is to today’s audience, Bhansali added, “Devdas is the ultimate love story. The novel belonged to an era when drinking and loving your neighbour’s daughter were taboos … All that is irrelevant today. But Devdas’s unflinching love for Paro, whereby even the seductive Chandramukhi couldn’t distract him, is timeless.”
During the shooting of Devdas, there was special bonding between Bhansali and his actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. However, that spark was missing from his relationship with Madhuri Dixit. Speaking about this, Bhansali was diplomatic with his response. “Aishwarya will always be very special for me. I feel very, very close to her. We will always have our differences of opinion. But we love each other immensely. Aishwarya is fragile and strong. But Madhuri is equally fantastic. It was always my dream to work with her [Madhuri].”
The audience witnessed much of Devdas’s pain and suffering in Ajay Devgn’s character in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Asked why Bhansali didn’t cast him in Devdas, he said, “Ajay’s character was my starting point to make Devdas. I slowly moved towards this film from there. But having gone through the process with Ajay, there was no challenge or excitement in casting him again in a similar role.”
He added, “It would have been a process of continuation instead of creation. With Shah Rukh, it was a completely new experience.” According to him, Khan, as Devdas, was able to convey shades of anger and self-destruction. “I can’t destroy Paro or Chandramukhi, so I’ll destroy myself, is what my Devdas feels. Shah Rukh seemed just right. And I was right.”