'Farah shouldn't get personal'
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is upset with the Om Shanti Om director for making 'barbed comments'
Subhash K Jha
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya is coming to a theatre near you on the same day as Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om, causing what many distributors see as a bottleneck at the box office.
When asked about the supposed competition, Sanjay says, "I'm here to make a film and believe filmmaking to be an art form. Cinema is not a battlefield. All of us work very hard on our films, and my film is as dear to me as other people's films are to them."
Repeat offenders
Pausing for breath, Sanjay says, "Let me say at the outset that we announced our decision to release Saawariya on November 9 a year ago, so we aren't intruding on anyone else's release date. I'm sure Om Shanti Om is a terrific film. In fact, Shah Rukh Khan is the biggest star in the country and we are very small compared to him. I wish his film all the best."
On another note, Sanjay is extremely upset over what he thinks are personal comments made by Farah Khan on chat shows and media interviews. In fact, he's of the opinion that 'acerbic' items like 'Lily, don't be silly' (in yesterday's HiTLIST) shouldn't be published.
He says, "I'm proud to have my mother's name (Leela) as part of mine. No civilised person would want his or her parent ridiculed. Even if 'reliable sources' decide to make fun of my mother to get mileage, they'll still have her blessings. My mom has shown immense love for Farah (Khan) and her family, although over the years they've repeatedly made barbed comments about her in public."
Getting personal
Referring to a particular episode of Koffee With Karan, Bhansali says, "Farah said that if I were to make Om Shanti Om, it would be called Ma Shanti Ma. Why bring my mother into this, especially since she has so much affection for Farah? No matter what the provocation, I'd never speak like this about anyone's parents. If Farah is feeling competitive towards my film, she should restrict her comments to my work and not get personal. We go back a long way, so we shouldn't allow one film to sour relations."
Clearly upset, Sanjay says that Shah Rukh and he have come to a moral decision to keep this dignified and not to speak about each other's film in print. "I intend to stick to that decision even if other people on his behalf are eagerly breaking that moral code. 'Sources' close to the film are making catty comments about me and even my mother to get attention," he says.
Taking a deep breath, he adds, "I'm not going to be provoked into talking about another person's film or its cast. My mother and I wish Shah Rukh and his film all the best from the bottom of our hearts."
http://epapers2.mid-day.com/midday/scripts/epaper/epapermain .aspx?queryed=9&eddate=9/6/2007
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