SLB praises SRK operatic Devdas, a challenge for today’s actors

In a recent interview, Sanjay Leela Bhansali says his movie Devdas was a different kind of acting. Back then, actors went all-out with dramatic performances. Today, it’s more subtle. Bhansali feels Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit did an amazing job in Devdas, but that kind of acting might be difficult for today’s actors because it requires a different, more intense approach. 

During the interview, when 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.”

He 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.”