Richa Chadha Pens A Heartfelt Note For Sanjay Leela Bhansali On His Birthday

Actress Richa Chadha, who collaborated with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for series Heeramandi, pens a wordy and inspiring note for the filmmaker on his birthday.

Sharing a working still from Heeramandi, Richa wrote, “Dear Sanjay Leela Bhansali - I can describe my life as an actor by dividing my career into two parts… pre-SLB and post SLB! What can I even say about you? We know how we feel. We know the point where our ideas meet mid-air and give birth to magic…no words are uttered, the set looks on…but a gaze is exchanged and a new character is born each time, a character that will outlive both you and me… and that is your love-soaked, moist-eyed gift to the world. I love you”

“Others want to work with you because you make them look good! Sure, no one better at it than you, every other director who tries, gets accused of having a ‘Bhansali hangover’. Your films are seminal, you’re as big as it gets and then some… but that’s not it for me! I am a greedy actor and for me, each time I work with you, I emerge a better artist. You make me do things I didn’t believe were possible! Before each shot, it’s like meeting a lover…the heart beats faster, I have butterflies in my stomach, but it’s all worth it when a character comes to life, uses my body as a medium to convey pain, lust, heartbreak and just juicy, full- bosomed love.”

“You’re an enigma to the world, but to me you’re an old soul…preserving what’s left, documenting it for posterity, making raw emotion tug at heart strings even in this fast paced world…no one understands or respects Indian music, dance and tapestry the way you do and for that sir, I tip my hat to you! Who knows when we shall unite again, but I preserve every lesson like a gift from God! You’re my friend, my spiritual buddy, my well-wisher but most of all my Guru! I am grateful for your existence! @bhansaliproductions Now and forevermore! Your Raseela and Lajjo! #TheBest #StuffofLegend #thesanjayleelabhansali”

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is created by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The series is about the lives of tawaifs at the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore, during the Indian independence movement against the British Raj. It stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Sharmin Segal.