Talk about Cinematic Colours in Indian Cinema and the films of Sanjay Leela Bhansali will come to our mind. Find them here.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a director, producer, screenwriter, music director, and indeed, one of the few members of the Indian Film Industry whose use of colours and symbolism forms one of the most exciting parts of the storytelling process. While with other directors, you may find traces where specific importance is given to the colours, with Bhansali it is always about colours. And that is why he is exceptionally particular about the production design of his films.
Being a man who has seen generations of filmmaking, Bhansali is perhaps an old school captain of bollywood empire, who perhaps believes in creating his world instead of going out and shooting in the open. And hence, all that he displays in movies is all that he imagines, and we can say his imagination is full of colours and symbols.
Let’s examine a few examples of his creation of meaning from the colours and scenes.
1. Black
As the name suggests, the film is not literally but emotionally black. Still, the filmmaker leaves no stone unturned to not make you feel the blackness of the protagonist’s life. Michelle McNally (Rani Mukherjee) is a deaf,dumb and blind woman filled with darkness. The film’s opening scene, as does the last scene, suggests this darkness. The film is made in shades of white and dark silhouettes, making it beautiful.
2. Devdas
If you have watched the film already, and have started thinking of any of the frames from the film, the one thing you will definitely find is the colour ‘Red’. Devdas is absolutely in the shades of red. It is in the clothing, the makeup, the jewellery, and the style, and if it is not there, then it is in the set. But there is some red in every frame. Perhaps because it is a film that talks about passionate love.
3. Saawariya
The palette of this film is highly unique. It uses dark, vibrant colours and deep contrasts, yet every frame has a shine that makes you feel dreamy. You see dark blues, deep greens and maroon in the frame. You see them shining. And you see the characters portraying the sense of sensuality. And then all frames make you feel the beauty of the film.
4. Ram Leela
Ram Leela is an ugly celebration of colours. It is a film in which the festival of colours, Holi, has a symbolic significance as the protagonist’s love is shaped by this festival. The scene’s mood is defined by what colour people wear, dark or light. Still, there are always multiple distinct colours in every frame that are creatively designed for the film.
5. Bajirao Mastani
Mastani is shown as pure and full of wisdom; hence, she is found in pastels. Parallel to her, we see Kanshi, Rao’s wife and in passionate love with Rao, in pink, magenta and red outfits. The characters, even when standing parallel, can be easily identified as different. They are opposites but bound in their love for Rao.
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6. Padmaavat
In this Indian period drama where Bhansali had all the liberties to show the vibrance of Indian culture, he didn’t miss this opportunity. The Rani in film is always seen in bright colours. In contrast, her antagonist, who has a toxic attraction towards her, is seen in such a mise–en-scene which is dark with shades of black and brown.
So, these were a few cinematic marvels, and there are so many more. With this, we wish Sanjay Leela Bhansali a very Happy Birthday. We hope to see more such colours with meanings in his upcoming Cinematic Creations.
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