Sanjay Leela Bhansali has often been described by actors as a demanding filmmaker who strives for perfection on set. Veteran actor Yatin Karyekar, who worked with the director in ‘Bajirao Mastani’, recently shared his experience of working under Bhansali, recalling both the filmmaker’s strict nature and the lighter moments he shared with co-star Ranveer Singh.Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Karyekar revealed that he and Ranveer developed a close friendship during the shoot, though they were careful not to let their fun interfere with work. He said, “Me and Ranveer were like buddies. We hit it off really well. We were having a dhamaal on set. Sanjay ji is very strict, so not in front of him. But when we used to sit alone, it was pure fun. He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) is a bit too much strict. The director is God for me.”Karyekar also recounted witnessing Bhansali lose his temper with actor Aditya Pancholi during filming. According to him, Pancholi had been reprimanding a junior artiste when the director intervened.“I once saw him yelling at Aditya Pancholi. Aditya was scolding some junior artiste, so Sanjay shouted loudly, ‘You shut up Aditya.’ It was not nice. I have heard a lot of instances about his temper. When a senior artiste wasn’t able to do a step, he threw a chair at her. He has broken many mobiles and mics. I was quite ready for all this. Aditya was shocked. He was not expecting that,” he added.Despite recalling Bhansali’s fiery temperament, Karyekar was full of praise for the filmmaker’s creative abilities, placing him among the industry’s finest directors.“He is a genius, a creative genius. If there are two pillars in the industry – its him and Rajkumar Hirani. Both have different working styles. One doesn’t even realise they are on a set in Raju’s film. Everything is cool, calm. There’s no tension. Everybody is smiling,” he concluded.Released in 2015, ‘Bajirao Mastani’ starred Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra Jonas in lead roles. The historical drama emerged as both a critical and commercial success, earning widespread acclaim for its performances, music and grand visual scale.
