The first thing that comes to mind when someone names Sanjay Leela Bhansali is elaborate sets, grandeur and a heartwarming story. Known mostly for period pieces, the filmmaker made a non-period film in the year 2005 that won the hearts of fans. Black was a film that had its heart in the right place and had compelling performances from its lead pair, Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee. Rani, who played a visually impaired woman in the film, reportedly refused the movie initially as she was not sure she would be able to do justice to her role.
Black, made on a budget of Rs 22 crore, had a worldwide earning of Rs 66 crore. Did you know that Amitabh Bachchan did not charge a single rupee for this film? This film is available on OTT, let us tell you some lesser-known facts related to this film.
In the 1990s, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was preparing to enter the industry. The idea came to his mind while directing his first film Khamoshi: The Musical. The movie dealt with a deaf and mute couple played by Nana Patekar and Seema Biswas and during filming, he met many people who were differently abled. He decided to present this aspect on the big screen. Inspired by the life of Helen Keller, Bhansali announced the production of his project Black in 2003. In 2005, with his distinct storytelling style and his ability to bring visually stunning and emotionally charged stories to the screen, he presented the award-winning masterpiece.
In 2005, Black was ranked fifth in Time (Europe)’s prestigious list of the 10 best films of all time, a testament to the universality of the film’s subject matter and how Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s vision managed to connect with audiences around the world. This achievement was a testament to Bollywood’s influence on global cinema.
Amitabh Bachchan once revealed that he was so impressed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s work that he did not take any money for Black. According to him, being in the film was his fee. In 2004, during the filming of the film, a massive fire broke out on the set, destroying film equipment and injuring some of the crew. Amitabh and Rani were not on set when this happened.
Over the past few years, Bollywood has been home to many remakes, be it South films or Hollywood films. Black is one of the few Bollywood films to have its own remake as a Turkish film titled Benim Dunyam was made in 2013.
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