Sanjay Leela Bhansali Calls Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone’s Ram Leela His Toughest Film, Here’s Why

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone became a raging on-screen couple for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela way before they tied the know. The film narrated the star-crossed romance between two lovers, who belong to warring factions but fall in love with each other. As the tragic romantic drama completed nine years on Tuesday, Sanjay Leela Bhansali talked about it in an interview and called it the ‘toughest film’ of his career.

In an interview with ETimes, the veteran filmmaker expressed, “I’ve agonized over every single frame. Until the last minute, I kept working on it. They had to literally drag me away from the editing.”

Recalling the action quotient of the film which was equally appreciated by the critics, Bhansali shared, “Before Ram-Leela there was nothing more than a slap in my films. In fact, action director Sham Kaushal would complain in every film, ‘Why call me for action direction for just a slap?’. This time in Ram-Leela we had enough action to make Sham Kaushal happy.”

The filmmaker further talked about the efforts he had put in to portray the sexual chemistry between Ranveer and Deepika and told the entertainment portal, “They had never played such unabashed characters. Once in a while, Deepika would get taken aback by her character’s uninhibited behaviour. But she would convey exactly what I wanted. Both of them are marvelous actors. They made the expression of love so effortless and magical. They have conveyed the purest form of love.”

Bhansali also shared that Ram Leela was a special film for him because it came after his two box office failures – Saawariya and Guzaarish. Talking about the same, the director explained how Ram Leela returned him to Hum…Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas style of filmmaking. “Ram-Leela came after the failure of two of my films. We had worked with equal passion on Saawariya and Guzaarish. Both films are as precious to me as Ram-Leela. But somehow our efforts did not connect with the audience. That broke my heart. I got back to direction determined to get back my audience. I needed Ram-Leela to reach out to the widest possible audience. Not that I made Ram-Leela to prove anything. I made the film I enjoyed making and I hoped audiences would share my pleasure.”