Sooraj Barjatya explains why he is not a visual director like Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Mumbai, Feb 12
Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya recently acknowledged the brilliance of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, stating that he is not a 'visual director' like him.

During Barjatya’s recent appearance on Komal Nahta’s podcast, "Game Changers," the filmmaker shared insights into his creative process, distinguishing his approach from that of his contemporaries. Sooraj emphasized that while visuals are important, his primary focus remains on the narrative, highlighting the significance of how every beat of the story is brought to life on screen.

He shared, “Unless I don’t find every single character, and I’m ready for every song, I don’t rely on any choreographer. I sit, I picturize, I do, I want everything written down. Komal Ji, I’m not a visual director like Sanjay Leela Bhansali; he is a master. I’m essentially a storyteller. What is going to be picturized on every beat is important to me.”

The 'Hum Saath-Saath Hain' director also opened up about his unique approach to filmmaking, describing himself as a "selfish director." When Komal Nahta asked Barjatya about his selective filmmaking process and why he chooses to release only a limited number of films each year, Barjatya called himself a ‘selfish director.’

“As a director, Komalji, I am very selfish. Unless and until I’m ready, I don't want to start,” Barjatya mentioned.

The ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’ filmmaker went on to add, “So that's why it takes 5 or 6 years to make a film. I'm trying now to make a movie in 3 years. And we are doing TV shows, OTT also started. As it takes time, whether it's a hit or a flop, the feeling is that it's worth it to the banner.”

Sooraj Barjatya recently ventured into digital space with the show “Bada Naam Karenge, “directed by Palash Vaswani with Barjatya. The series stars Kanwaljeet Singh, Alka Amin, Rajesh Jais, Chitrali Lokesh, Deepika Amin, Jameel Khan, Rajesh Tailang, Anjana Sukhani, Sadhika Sayal, Gyanendra Tripathi, Priyamvada Kant, Omm Dubey, and Bhavesh Babani, along with others.

The show premiered on Sony LIV on 7th February.