Sanjay inspired my film

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Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s sister Bela Bhansali Sehgal is ready with her directorial debut Shirin Aur Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi.

The script of the forty-plus love story has been written by Sanjay himself. “In fact I was inspired by his (Sanjay’s) life. Sanjay is not married yet and like the lead in the film, he too is a sincere and an emotional man. We want to see him married at the earliest. My mom’s wish at least will be fulfilled as she always keeps coaxing Sanjay to get married,” says Bela while drawing comparison between the film’s lead character and her producer/director brother.
“The film got delayed — she had the script for nine years — as we had to make some changes in the script and by the time our script got finalised Boman (Irani) did not have any dates. We were adamant that Boman play this role and Sanjay wanted Farah to be the leading lady. So as soon as we got Boman’s dates we got on to the floors,” adds Bela. For Bela, only Boman Irani could pull off the role. “Definitely this is a comic caper and Boman has added real soul to the character who is a lingerie salesman. In the climax there was a scene where he had to showcase all his emotions. Boman’s performance in that scene got everyone present crying.”
Coming back to her brother and the family’s desire to get him settled, Bela says, “All I can say is that Sanjay is an adult. He knows what’s best for him. He is a wonderful person and I hope his counterpart, whosoever it may be, is as wonderful as him... He will definitely finalise a day to tie the knot. We are all impatiently waiting for that day.”
Not many are aware that it was Bela who pushed the boundaries for Sanjay Leela Bhansali to become one of the industry’s finest directors.” Yes I did take him around to different film-makers’ offices. He was a shy person with tons of electrifying talent.”Bela says she is now preparing another romantic thriller, “Yes I am an emotional fool. I can only make romantic films.” She concludes.