Sanjay Leela Bhansali made his directorial debut with Khamoshi: The Musical, starring Manisha Koirala and Salman Khan. Did you know that Bhansali’s debut film shares many similarities with the story of CODA? Bhansali’s film, which featured Salman Khan and Manisha Koirala in lead roles, did not perform well at the box office upon its 1996 release. In contrast, CODA, released in 2021, went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture. Was Khamoshi ahead of its time? In an interview with Galatta Plus, Bhansali shared his thoughts on the subject.
During the interview, Sanjay said, “Sometimes things do not fall into place. Sometimes, your work doesn’t reach out. Khamoshi did not reach out. 25 years later, somebody makes CODA in the US, which is almost like Khamoshi. They get the Oscar! It almost ended there. But you don’t give up. Something must be wrong. The audience’s intelligence must be supreme. You must never question that you made a film ahead of its time. Don’t give yourself that credit unnecessarily. Something is wrong in the film. The sooner you accept it, the better filmmaker you will be.”
CODA, written and directed by Sian Heder, is an English-language remake of the 2014 French-Belgian film La Famille Bélier. The film revolves around the child of deaf adults (CODA) who pursues her aspirations to become a singer. CODA won Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor at the 94th Academy Awards.
Meanwhile, Bhansali is receiving praise for his work in Heeramandi. Based on the red-light district called Heera Mandi in Lahore (now in present-day Pakistan) during the pre-partition era, Sanjay’s magnum opus chronicles the lives of courtesans in Heera Mandi and their relationships with Nawabs at that time.
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