Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali was deeply honoured to represent Indian cinema and the creator community at the Republic Day Parade on January 26, he said Monday.
Becoming the first director to receive this honour, Bhansali collaborated with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for a special tableau themed Bharat Katha: Shruti, Kriti, Drishti. It was showcased on Kartavya Path, the main parade route in New Delhi.
“I felt deeply honoured to represent Indian cinema and the creator community at the Republic Day Parade under the theme Bharat Gatha. Co-creating this tableau with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting was a tribute to India’s timeless stories and the power of cinema to retell them,” Bhansali said in a statement.
“It reflects the vision of taking Indian storytelling to the world and celebrating cinema as one of India’s strongest cultural voices,” Bhansali added.
The tableau reflected the continuity between India’s rich cultural heritage and modern innovation, showing how tradition and technology collectively define the nation.
The tableau began with the cosmic vibration of Aum, representing the primal source of sound, wisdom, and creation.
The opening segment, Shruti, illustrated India’s ancient oral heritage, portraying a Guru sharing knowledge with disciples beneath a Peepal tree, while flowing sound-wave motifs symbolised the spoken transmission of learning.
The second segment, Kriti, highlighted the shift from oral tradition to the written word, depicting Lord Ganesha penning the Mahabharata, a powerful symbol of sacred authorship and the preservation of knowledge.
The concluding segment, Drishti, reflected India’s contemporary media landscape, featuring vintage cameras, film reels, satellites, newspapers, and box-office imagery to trace the evolution of cinema, broadcasting, and print media.
The tableau also featured figures of filmmakers and artists celebrating creative pioneers, alongside digital elements such as AI, animation, VFX, gaming, AVGC-XR, and virtual production that reflected India’s evolution towards immersive storytelling.
Bhansali made his directorial debut with the 1996 film Khamoshi: The Musical.
Famed for his grand and meticulously crafted sets, Bhansali has helmed films such as Black, Devdas, Padmaavat, Ram-Leela, and Gangubai Kathiawadi.
On the work front, Bhansali is currently filming for his upcoming film Love & War. Billed as an epic saga set against the backdrop of a war, the film stars Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal and Ranbir Kapoor. This marks Vicky’s first collaboration with the filmmaker.
With Love & War, Ranbir is set to reunite with Bhansali 19 years after his big-screen debut Saawariya (2007), which also starred Sonam Kapoor. Love & War is reportedly scheduled for a March 20 theatrical release, though the makers have not confirmed it.
Bhansali is also co-producing Siddhant Chaturvedi and Mrunal Thakur’s love Do Deewane Seher Mein, scheduled to release in theatres on February 20.