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Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Producer, director, writer, composer and editor · Born February 24, 1963 (63) · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

BAFTA Award nominee

Sanjay Leela Bhansali (born February 24, 1963) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and music director known for his female-led films with a distinctive style of grand cinematic sets and extravagant costumes, incorporation of classical music and inspirations from dramatic epics. One of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of Hindi cinema, Bhansali is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards and ten Filmfare Awards. In 2015, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award. He made his directorial debut with Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) for which he received Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film. He rose to prominence in Indian cinema with commercially successful and widely acclaimed romantic drama Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), the romantic drama Devdas (2002) —which received nomination for Best Foreign Film at British Academy of Film & Television Awards (BAFTA)— and the drama Black (2005), for all of which he received multiple Best Director Award and Best Film Award along with additional Critics Award for Best Film for the latter at Filmfare Awards, and multiple National Film Awards for the latter two. However, he followed it by directing consecutive commercially flop films Saawariya (2007) and Guzaarish (2010). He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. He is the founder of a production house, Bhansali Productions. Bhansali has adopted the middle name "Leela" as a tribute to his mother, Leela Bhansali.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 24, 1963 (63)
From
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Works as
Producer, director, writer, composer and editor
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 31 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 36% in 30 days

What are Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
45%
Morality
27%
Self
14%
Power
8%
Society
4%
Survival
3%
Romantic love9 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 5 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 10

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 11

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 8 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 11

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 16 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
13
Romantic
9
Tense
7
Triumphant
6
Joyful
4
Other
11

How their films linger

Bittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

31 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Love and War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Do Deewane Seher Mein(2026)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar(2024)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Composer · Creator · Editor · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • Gangubai Kathiawadi(2022)

    Director · Composer · Editor · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Tuesdays and Fridays(2021)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Malaal(2019)

    Composer · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Padmaavat(2018)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Bajirao Mastani(2015)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Gabbar Is Back(2015)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Mary Kom(2014)

    Editor · Producer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela(2013)

    Director · Composer · Editor · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • My World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Scenario Writer

  • Saraswatichandra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show Creator

  • Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi(2012)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Rowdy Rathore(2012)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • My Friend Pinto (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Producer

  • Guzaarish(2010)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Saawariya(2007)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Black(2005)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Devdas(2002)

    Director · Screenplay · Writer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Straight from the Heart(1999)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Khamoshi: The Musical (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director · Screenplay · Story

  • 1942: A Love Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Writer

  • Inshallah (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • Jai Somnath (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Rowdy Rathore 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Untitled Dhanush - PS Mithran Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Untitled Madhubala Biopic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Untitled P. S. Mithran - Bhansali Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Untitled Sanjay Leela Bhansali/SRK Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 31 titles, 23 of them dated from 1994 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Padmaavat (2018)

$61M worldwide

Highest rated

Black (2005)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 31: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting14 of 31: 2 only directing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score85thWriting13 of 31: 3 only writing, 10 with another role · typical Midcredits score84thProducing22 of 31: 10 only producing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score76thMusic7 of 31: 0 only music, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score81stEditing3 of 31: 0 only editing, 3 with another roleOther crew2 of 31: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

31 titles, 14 with more than one role — producing and directing overlap on 10 of them.

By decade

1990s3 · crew2000s4 · 1 acting · 3 crew2010s12 · crew2020s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

Nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2003, Best Film not in the English Language.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 75th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 17 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · director, writer, producer, composer, editor

Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)

98th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer, producer

Black (2005)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 71/100 and the pacing 39/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles33–75 · median 53 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles15–54 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles16–60 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles20–77 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles42–54 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Sanjay Leela Bhansali work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Chetan Deolekar shares the most, 9.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles