Actor Gulshan Devaiah recalled working with the famously demanding filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the film Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, and said that while it was a ‘test of patience’, it was a ‘good’ experience overall.
Explaining what he meant by that, Gulshan said in an interview that he wasn’t used to having ample time on set, as he had worked on shoestring productions where work was done at a breakneck pace. With Bhansali, however, hours were spent to perfect the lighting to photograph sets worth crores of rupees. He told Siddharth Kannan, “The first set that I stepped into was worth Rs 5-7 crore. Lavish sets, beautiful costumes, and then you’re waiting and waiting for hours and hours. Mr Bhansali takes his time; that’s his preferred way of working, and you have to be okay with that. And it’s important to adapt. I would sit in full costume on set. I would spend hours and hours watching how work happens on that set.”
Also read – Gulshan Devaiah says Sanjay Leela Bhansali expresses his ‘passion through anger’, recalls actors were ‘scared’ to face him
Gulshan said that they wanted him to pierce his ears for the role, but he refused. He was given clip-on earrings instead, but they’d give him a splitting headache, so he would take them off and keep them in his pocket while waiting. “It’s a very time-consuming process. Sometimes, his lighting takes over six hours to set up. You realise in the first couple of days that this is how it’s going to be. If you want a fast-paced environment, then you shouldn’t be working with Bhansali.”
Gulshan also said that Ram Leela’s lead star, Ranveer Singh, ‘would sit in a corner and cry’ after filming emotional scenes. In an earlier interview with Bollywood Hungama, he’d said about working with Bhansali, “Sometimes, I would be in hair and costume for three days, and not be given a single shot. I would go and sit on the set, you understand his sensibility, how he works, what he likes and doesn’t like by just sitting there and observing things.”
Gulshan played the character Bhavani in the film, which also starred Deepika Padukone. In a recent interview, Bhansali spoke about his famous temper, and appeared to defend losing his patience on set. “If I’m not getting what I want, even if I lose my temper, what is wrong in it? If you’re not getting a shot, and if someone is spoiling it, what will you do? People have made stories that I’m angry, that I’m badly behaved…” he told India Today.
