The 12-Year Reign of Spectacle: A Tribute to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela

Twelve years ago, on this day, Indian cinema witnessed an operatic shockwave of colour, conflict, and carnal chemistry with the release of Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. More than just a box-office hit, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2013 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet was a defining moment, establishing the maximalist aesthetic and epic romantic tragedy formula that would dominate the director’s subsequent decade. It was a triumphant spectacle that launched the "DeepVeer" phenomenon and carved out a stylistic universe where guns and ghagras coexisted in explosive harmony.

​The enduring success of Ram-Leela rests entirely on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's unparalleled commitment to his grand visual vision. The filmmaker is often compared with the legends like Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt and with Ram-Leela, he once again proved his mastery as a filmmaker. Set in the fictional, lawless village of Ranjaar, every frame is an immaculately composed masterpiece, drenched in the vibrant, earthy aesthetics of Gujarat and Kutch. 

Cinematographer Ravi Varman and production designer Wasiq Khan flawlessly executed the director's unique colour palette, a tapestry of violent reds, electric blues, and fiery oranges, to heighten the emotional pitch. Bhansali masterfully transcended traditional storytelling; he engineered an elaborate, volatile raasleela (a passionate dance of destruction) that was simultaneously rooted in ancient culture and fiercely modern in its execution. His command over costume and design, transforming Deepika Padukone into a ferocious Gujarati queen, is simply breathtaking.

​Crucially, under Bhansali's direction, the film served as the extraordinary genesis of Bollywood’s most potent on-screen pairing. He drew out a raw, visceral, and profoundly sexual chemistry between Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. Their intense passion, scorching the screen with confrontational embraces, grounded the spectacular setting in a powerful emotional core. This directorial vision and magnetic casting became the undisputed blueprint for their subsequent epic collaborations.

​Twelve years on, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela remains an essential cinematic experience. It is a triumph that trades subtly for majestic spectacle, firmly establishing Sanjay Leela Bhansali as the unrivalled architect of grand, unforgettable Hindi epics.

Meanwhile, Bhansali is presently busy with his next directorial venture Love and War, starring Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal.