Winning National Award for 'Bajirao Mastani' very special, says Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Mumbai: Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who was on Monday conferred the National Award for best director for the third time for his epic saga ‘Bajirao Mastani’, after ‘Black’ and ‘Devdas’, said it was an honour for his dream project that was kept on hold for 12 years.

"I have received National Awards for 'Black' and 'Devdas', but this award is really very special for me. In my entire journey of 25 years, I never sensed this much of satisfaction. It feels like now I am getting the right result for my work," he said at a press conference.

Bhansali, who began his career as an assistant to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, spoke about his struggling days.

"When I worked for Vidhu Chopra, there was an uncertainty whether I would be getting an opportunity to direct movies. Therefore, receiving a National Award was far from my thoughts. However, I aspired to reach that level. I wanted to make films which should make a mark on the audience's mind."

"From 'Khamoshi' to 'Bajirao Mastani', it has been a long and fun-filled journey for me. Moreover, in these 25 years, I have seen love, hatred, success, failure and criticism. It is a complete career for me," the 53-year-old filmmaker said.

Along with best director, ‘Bajirao Mastani’ also earned five other awards -- best supporting actress for Tanvi Azmi, best choreography for Remo D'Souza, best cinematography, production design and re-recording.