I’ll try harder next time to please those who didn’t like my movie, says Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who turns 55 later this month, has a lot to celebrate.

His latest film, Padmaavat, is out of the clutches of crippling controversies. As the figures keep coming in, Padmaavat has already crossed Rs 250 crore in the national market. But the director remains calm.

“As a child, I never got to celebrate my birthday. My sister and I were not even allowed to attend birthday parties. Having said that, I see no reason to celebrate, birthday or no birthday. The fate of Padmaavat was never in our hands, or in the hands of those who wanted to stop it. I have just one question for those who don’t like my film, many of them without seeing it: Who decides what the audience should see and like?” asks Bhansali as he now puts his mind to his next venture.

He explains, “My work, my cinema is the only impetus I have to wake up every morning with hope in my heart. The past year has been traumatic for me. I am yet to process all the levels of attack I went through. I only want to feel thankful that our film has been seen by the public, and liked… except by those who invariably think my cinema is about excesses. To them I can only say sorry, I will try harder next time to please you.”