The 2002 film Devdas, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s finest so far, continues to hold a special place in the hearts of audience. The film had Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in delivering magnificent performances. Now, in a new interview with Bollywood Hungama, the director opened up about the stellar performances given by the cast in that film and how such an acting technique might be a challenge with today’s artistes. During the interview, when the director was asked about his thoughts on the acting process evolving over the years, he said, “I think the cinema has changed, techniques have changed. Now a director looks at cinema differently. The scriptwriters are writing differently and sketching varied and unusual roles. It is a great time for Indian cinema. Today, great films are being made, and wonderful work is being done.”
He further continued, “The sur (tone) and the note at which Devdas was being performed, it was high pitch and operatic… it was difficult to perform. In those days, directors demanded actors to be that way but today, they ask actors to underplay and be subtle which is also nice. What Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, and Kirron Kher did in Devdas, are notes and sur that today’s actors may not be able to deliver because they were a little unreal and demanded a deeper understanding of the acting techniques which Shah Rukh handled with brilliance.”
Devdas is based on the 1917 novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.
After the magnificent success of Heeramandi, the director is now gearing up for the shooting of his next film Love & War, which stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in the lead roles. The film is slated to release in December 2025.
