New actors cannot pull off what SRK did in 'Devdas', says Sanjay Bhansali

In an interview to Bollywood Hungama, Bhansali talking about how the process of acting has evolved over the years, pointed out that the actors in Devdas required to be 'high-pitched' and 'operatic' and that actors of today cannot pull off what Shah Rukh Khan had done brilliantly.

The sur (tone) and the note which the actors used in Devdas was difficult to perform, pointed out the filmmaker, who makes opulent, lavish and theatrical films. Praising Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, and Kirron Kher, who were all part of Devdas, Bhansali said that today's actors may not be able to deliver the sur and notes the way these actors had done.

"It was a little unreal and demanded a deeper understanding of acting techniques, which Shah Rukh handled brilliantly," he pointed out, according to the report.

In those days, directors demanded actors to be that way but today, they ask actors to underplay and be subtle which is also nice, admitted Bhansali, whose last film in theatres was Gangubai Kathiawadi, a biographical crime drama based on a chapter of Hussain Zaidi's book Mafia Queens of Mumbai.

Devdas is based on the 1917 novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Cinema has changed

Further, Bhansali also said that cinema and the techniques of filmmaking have changed.

In his view, a director looks at cinema differently. The scriptwriters are writing in a different way and sketching varied and unusual roles.

Pointing out that it is a great time for Indian cinema, he said that today, great films are being made, and wonderful work is being done.