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'We will meet Lagaan team to learn Oscar dos and don'ts'
An ecstatic Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Devdas representing India at the Academy Awards
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Priyanka Nair
When a 16-member committee of the Film Federation of India, headed by Shakti Samanta, chose Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas over Rajkumar Santoshi's The Legend Of Bhagat Singh and Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham to represent India at the 75th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, it was a dream come true for Bhansali's mother Leela.
Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Shroff, the film had earlier won accolades at Cannes this year. Says Leela Bhansali, "I have always dreamt that Sanjay should, one day, win an Oscar. I pray every moment for it. I am really overwhelmed and I don't know how to express my happiness. I was so apprehensive when I used to hear all these criticisms about his film.
"But I know how much has gone into the making of Devdas, and I know how my son has managed to complete the film. Of course, Sanjay's entire unit stood by him through the making of the film," says Leela Bhansali, who has already started praying that her son wins the Oscar.
For Bela Sehgal, who has been the editor of all Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films, the sun has finally shone on her brother. She states that her brother made Devdas, "with so much passion that no other filmmaker would have even dreamt of making it. I am extremely proud of my brother. His devotion towards his work has paid off."
Meanwhile, the man in question, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is feeling absolutely wonderful and extremely happy for himself and his unit members. "I know it is going to be an even tougher battle ahead for us to the Oscars. I am really honoured that the Film Federation chose Devdas to represent India at the Oscars."
Will the length of the film be shortened and songs deleted from the film to match international standards? Declares Bhansali, "Of course not. Why should I do that? There are so many English film whose length equals that of Hindi films. Devdas is a musical and songs are an integral part of the narrative of the film. So the question of getting rid of them does not arise. But we will definitely meet the Lagaan team [director Ashutosh Gowariker and producer-actor Aamir Khan] to know what should be done and what should not be done so that we don't make the same mistakes."
"We have already started talking about the promotion of the film and may even re-release the film in the US. Devdas will also be released in Paris with 200 prints," says Sanjay Bhansali.
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