Aisa hai, that Sanjay Leela Bhansali still owes me R10,000 for some work I did on his first film in 1996. People agree that Bhansali is a gifted director, even if they don’t like all his films (and let’s face it, Hrithik laughing through his tears, tries even the most generous spirit). But the praise often comes with a caveat, sometimes stated, sometimes hovering — “if you like that sort of thing.” By “that sort of thing” people perhaps mean the melodrama, or the over-wrought ornamentality, too kitschy for some, in his work. Overall the implication seems to be, one may praise its exuberance, but you can’t really take it very seriously.

Illustration/ Amit Bandre