Quotes from Sanjay Leela Bhansali

I reveal myself in my movies.

My life revolves around music.

I never liked being told what to do, so even in school plays, I never liked being an actor.

I am not indulgent. I think constructing a scene elaborately - with art, costume, and visual drama - is not indulgence. Other people should do it, too.

After 'Saawariya,' I retreated into a shell.

I need music while taking a bath. I need it in the car.

Bad behaviour on TV is quite nauseating and putting off.

Audiences want to see something interesting. It doesn't matter which genre or period it belongs to.

I never believed in birthday parties.

I'm petrified of facing the camera. Even to shoot for a photograph is an ordeal. But it's important to break free of your inhibitions at some point in your life.

I cannot be casual about my work.

With 'Guzaarish' I went through a catharsis.

I don't want to plan my career. That would be a business plan. Filmmaking is not a business plan.

All the pain, suffering, love, passion, and conflict have made me what I am.

Not every work of art connects with the audience.

When I make a film about a physically challenged person, I come away with so much. I learn to value what I have. My survival instinct sharpened after 'Black' and 'Guzaarish.'

During our childhood, my sister and I had no birthday parties. We would take a packet of sweets to school and distribute it to our class-mates. That was it. We were not allowed to go to parties, either.

I don't think international cinema is ready to embrace mainstream Indian cinema unconditionally. Even Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding' didn't get to the Oscars after being nominated for the Golden Globe Awards.

'Devdas' isn't a real film. It isn't in the same genre as Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding,' where the camera's presence is so understated it almost disappears.

I feel it is important to respect contestants on national TV, celebrity or not.

I remember during 'Devdas,' people told me that they had seen 'Devdas' before, so what would be so different about this one. But I was convinced with the subject, and that is what drove me.

Every director, actor, and even producer gets angry on the sets. Why am I the only one being singled out for losing my cool or being talked about vis-a-vis my anger?

The Cannes Film Festival is the biggest, most prestigious film festival in the world. This is where filmmakers are discovered, where futures are made, and the most important films premiered.

I've met quadriplegics who have lost the use of their limbs but not their spirit. They are not dark, defeated people.