Sanjay Leela Bhansali says what Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai did in Devdas, today’s actors can’t deliver, here’s why

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is basking in praises for his recently released series, Heeramandi. The show has become a hit among the masses as they can’t stop gushing over the grandness, the beauty and the magic of the characters. SLB is someone who shows the depth of a character and their many layers. There’s a certain note ans sur in every character. Citing Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s character, Sanjay feels today’s actors can’t deliver that level of performance.

During the interview with Bollywood Hungama, the director was asked about his thoughts on the acting process evolving over the years. He said, “I think the cinema has changed, techniques have changed. Now a director looks at cinema differently. The scriptwriters are writing differently and sketching varied and unusual roles. It is a great time for Indian cinema. Today, great films are being made, and wonderful work is being done.”‘It was difficult to perform…’

The Padmaavat director further continued, “The sur (tone) and the note at which Devdas was being performed, it was high pitch and operatic… it was difficult to perform. In those days, directors demanded actors to be that way but today, they ask actors to underplay and be subtle which is also nice. What Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, and Kirron Kher did in Devdas, are notes and sur that today’s actors may not be able to deliver because they were a little unreal and demanded a deeper understanding of the acting techniques which Shah Rukh handled with brilliance.”

Also read: Sanjay Leela Bhansali reveals he wanted to cast Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan in Heeramandi: I had multiple castings in my mind