Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali will represent Indian cinema at the Republic Day Parade on January 26, becoming the first director to hold this honour, as per reports.
A special tableau celebrating Indian cinema, created jointly by Bhansali and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, will be showcased on Kartavya Path, the main parade route in New Delhi.
“For the first time ever, a true flag-bearer of Indian cinema, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, will represent Indian cinema at the Republic Day Parade. This historic honour marks a defining chapter for Indian cinema and is set to create strong national momentum. There could be no better representative for this moment than Sanjay Leela Bhansali,” a source in the thick of events told news portal Firstpost.
The tableau for Republic Day will reflect the scale, discipline, and emotional intensity of his films, celebrating Indian cinema in its entirety rather than focusing on one work.
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. Also a producer, screenwriter, editor, and music composer, Bhansali has earned multiple awards over his three-decade career, including seven National Film Awards and the Padma Shri in 2015.
The filmmaker gained critical acclaim and commercial success with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002). He won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for directing Black (2005). His subsequent films include Saawariya (2007) and Guzaarish (2010), with the latter marking his debut as a music composer.
In 2024, Bhansali launched his music label, Bhansali Music, and made his OTT debut with the Netflix web series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.
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.