It was a special moment for Sanjay Leela Bhansali when National Film Awards were announced this year. His film “Padmavaat”, won three National Film Awards, including two for music. The film won the best music director award (songs) for Bhansali in addition to best choreography (Kruti Mahesh Madya and Jyoti Tomar) and best playback singer to Arijit Singh for “Binte Dil” at the 66th National Film Awards that were announced on Friday.
It is the first National award for Bhansali as a music director. He has previously won for awards for “Devdas”, “Black” and “Bajirao Mastani” in different categories.
Recalling his experience of making the film he said, “It is the most difficult film that I have ever made. There has been physical assault, morcha, dharna, banning of the film and every possible thing that could have gone wrong. But every time I felt low, I created a song and it was a nice outlet for me. It (music) was a positive way of looking at all the difficulties,” Bhansali added.
“In any creative field, an artiste goes through some difficulties here and there. In my case, it was more than necessary but you still look at it positively… We went to the recording studio and shut all the sound that was coming from the protests and concentrated on making music. It has come from the heart and it resonated with the people.”
Bhansali said the awards, chosen by a jury of qualified people, encourages one to work hard. “Any recognition, and especially the one coming from the government, means a lot. It is chosen by the jury of very qualified and respected people. It encourages you to work harder. It is a pat on the back and an emotional moment.”