Mumbai, February 25 – Indian auteur Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who was earlier reported to be unwell, is doing perfectly fine.
The director's publicist has issued a statement calling reports of his hospitalization as false and misleading.
The statement read, "Reports about SLB being hospitalized are completely false and baseless. There is no truth to them. We request you to kindly refrain from carrying any such stories, as they have no verified source".
Earlier, Sanjay Leela Bhansali celebrated a working birthday on the sets of Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, and Vicky Kaushal's film, 'Love & War'. Many fans and industry colleagues took to social media to wish the director, producer, and music composer. Among them was Alia Bhatt, who had previously worked with him in 'Gangubai Kathiawadi'.
Actress Manisha Koirala also penned a heartfelt birthday note for filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, calling him a "genius" and praising his unwavering devotion to cinema and the pursuit of excellence.
Taking to Instagram, Manisha lauded Bhansali's intensity, discipline, and poetic storytelling, saying that stepping into the world he creates is both a challenge and a privilege for any actor.
"Happy Birthday, Sanjay. It would be easy to call you a genius, but what truly defines you is your devotion. Your devotion to cinema, to beauty, to music, to emotion, and to the relentless pursuit of excellence. I have always admired the way you surrender yourself completely to your art. The intensity, the discipline, the madness, the poetry, all of it becomes part of the world you create. And as actors, stepping into your universe is both a challenge and a privilege".
She credited him for not just directing scenes but "sculpting feelings" and composing stories like symphonies, while highlighting the rare vulnerability that underlines the grandeur of his cinema. "You don't just direct scenes, you sculpt feelings. You don't just tell stories, you compose them like symphonies. Your cinema has grandeur, yes, but it also carries deep vulnerability. And that is rare".
Manisha first worked with SLB in the 1996 romantic drama musical film 'Khamoshi: The Musical'. The film also stars Salman Khan, Nana Patekar, and Seema Biswas. The film follows Annie, a hearing and speech-impaired couple's daughter, who meets Raj, who brings music and love to her life.
