Sanjay Leela Bhansali Reacts To Shah Rukh Khan's ‘Spineless’ Comment On Devdas: ‘If You Love Somebody…’

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 'Devdas', starring Shah Rukh Khan, sparked debates about glorifying toxic behaviour.

Shah Rukh Khan portrayed the self-destructive character of ‘Devdas’ in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic drama. While the film has sparked debates about glorifying toxic behaviour, Bhansali acknowledged that some actors had reservations about the character's depiction. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, the director stood by his vision of Devdas as the quintessential romantic hero.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the character Devdas

Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, “What is the story of Devdas? That he’s a loser, he doesn’t do anything, he gets upset… My actors didn’t understand why we’re telling this story. They said, ‘Oh, it’s romanticising alcoholism’. I said, ‘This is the story of a man who loved.’ What is our biggest duty in this life? To love and give love. Does anyone love like Devdas. I wanted to say, ‘If you love somebody, that’s how you love’. Devdas is a story of a man who loved. People have been making Devdas (for years). Why? They say he’s a loser. He’s not a loser. He’s the most noble of any of my characters. He loved Paro. You ask him anything, he would say, ‘Paro’. That is love. That is a love story.”

Shah Rukh Khan talked about playing Devdas

In a recent interview at the Locarno Film Festival, Shah Rukh talked about his reservations about playing the character. “I don’t like to play characters that demean women, I didn’t want him to be liked in the film for the reason that he disses a woman and doesn’t commit to her, I wanted him to come across as a person who is spineless and not somebody you should look up to. Bhansali made the film beautifully, but I don’t think anybody wants to be Devdas, it is not a character you take back home. I just didn’t want a character who has commitment issues with women to become popular in a different sense, I think I achieved that,” SRK said. 

“It was the most expensive film being made in India so it went through its own share of troubles. Money issues, and producers vanishing, we had to complete the film in a few days. It went overtime, over budget, but I had a great time doing the film because I felt it kind of was a tribute… memory to my mother who loved the film,” he added.