Updated October 2026: this article has been expanded into a complete guide to Sanjay Leela Bhansali's work as a music director, film by film. Gaurav Aradhye's original 2013 article is preserved in full further down the page.
Yes, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a music director. He composed his first soundtrack for Guzaarish (2010), and he has written the songs for every film he has directed since: Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013), Bajirao Mastani (2015), Padmaavat (2018) and Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022), as well as the Netflix series Heeramandi (2024). He also co-composed the songs for Malaal (2019), a film he produced. Padmaavat won him the National Film Award for Best Music Direction (songs).
What he usually does not compose is the background score. That job goes to other composers, most often Sanchit Balhara, and the split matters if you are trying to work out who wrote what in a Bhansali film.
Did Bhansali compose the music for his early films?
No. His first five films as director all used other composers for their songs:
- Khamoshi: The Musical (1996): songs by Jatin-Lalit, with Remo Fernandes.
- Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999): songs by Ismail Darbar.
- Devdas (2002): songs by Ismail Darbar, with Birju Maharaj composing Kaahe Chhed; background score by Monty Sharma.
- Black (2005): music by Monty Sharma.
- Saawariya (2007): songs by Monty Sharma.
The switch came with Guzaarish in 2010, and he has kept the songs for himself ever since.
Every film Sanjay Leela Bhansali has composed for
One representative song from each soundtrack, with the key credits:
- Dhundhli Dhundhli (Guzaarish, 2010): Shankar Mahadevan's quiet, aching song, which Gaurav singles out in the original article below. Guzaarish was Bhansali's debut as a composer, with lyrics by A. M. Turaz, Vibhu Puri and Jagdish Joshi; Udi, sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, was the album's popular hit. The background score was by Tubby-Parik.
Dhundhli Dhundhli Shaam Hui | Guzaarish | Shankar Mahadevan - Ram Chahe Leela (Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, 2013): sung by Bhoomi Trivedi, who won the Mirchi Music Award for Upcoming Female Vocalist with it. Siddharth-Garima wrote every song except Mor Bani Thanghat Kare, a Gujarati folk song credited to Hemu Gadhavi. Monty Sharma scored the background music.
Ram Chahe Leela | Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-leela | Bhoomi Trivedi - Deewani Mastani (Bajirao Mastani, 2015): Shreya Ghoshal won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for it, and Bhansali was nominated for Best Music Director. Shreyas Puranik and Devrath assisted on the album, and Puranik is credited as composer of Gajanana. Sanchit Balhara wrote the background score.
Deewani Mastani | Bajirao Mastani | Shreya Ghoshal - Ghoomar (Padmaavat, 2018): Shreya Ghoshal and Swaroop Khan, with lyrics by A. M. Turaz. Bhansali wanted the song to revive the Rajasthani ghoomar dance, and this is the soundtrack that won him the National Award. Sanchit Balhara again scored the film.
Ghoomar | Padmaavat | Shreya Ghoshal, Swaroop Khan - Dholida (Gangubai Kathiawadi, 2022): a garba sung by Janhvi Shrimankar and Shail Hada, which won Shrimankar the Filmfare R. D. Burman Award. The album also earned Bhansali the Mirchi Music Award for Music Composer of the Year. Sanchit and Ankit Balhara wrote the background score.
Dholida | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Janhvi Shrimankar - Sakal Ban (Heeramandi, 2024): Raja Hasan sings a text attributed to Amir Khusrau. The soundtrack came out on Bhansali's own label, Bhansali Music, and won Best Original Soundtrack (Series) at the Filmfare OTT Awards. Benedict Taylor and Naren Chandavarkar composed the background score.
Sakal Ban | Heeramandi | Raja Hasan
Malaal (2019), directed by Mangesh Hadawale and produced by Bhansali, is the odd one out: its songs are credited jointly to Bhansali, Shreyas Puranik and Shail Hada, with the background score by Sanchit and Ankit Balhara.
Who composes the background score in Bhansali's films?
Bhansali writes the songs; someone else usually writes the score that runs under the scenes. The credits so far:
- Guzaarish (2010): Tubby-Parik.
- Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013): Monty Sharma.
- Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Padmaavat (2018): Sanchit Balhara.
- Malaal (2019) and Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022): Sanchit and Ankit Balhara.
- Heeramandi (2024): Benedict Taylor and Naren Chandavarkar.
So if you searched for the Ram Leela movie's music director, the full answer is: songs by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, lyrics by Siddharth-Garima, background score by Monty Sharma.
Why Bhansali's songs feel so cinematic
Our bride entry songs guide sends readers here for this question, so here is the short answer. Bhansali is a director first, and he composes like one.
First, he builds songs on Indian forms that already carry a setting and a dance: Gujarati folk for Ram-Leela, which he researched by travelling to Gujarat; lavani for Pinga and Fitoori; Rajasthani ghoomar for Padmaavat; garba for Dholida; qawwali and Sufi music for Aayat and Aaj Ibaadat. The song tells you where you are before the camera does. It is also why Nagada Sang Dhol has become a wedding favourite, as our sangeet songs list shows.
Second, he leans on classical music. Albela Sajan is a classical composition he has now used twice, this time modelled on Kishori Amonkar's rendition in raag Bhoopali, and Mohe Rang Do Laal has Pandit Birju Maharaj reciting Kathak bols between Shreya Ghoshal's lines. For the Bajirao Mastani songs as a whole, Bhansali took inspiration from the music of Mughal-e-Azam (1960).
Third, the songs come before the shoot. For Ram-Leela, most of the music was composed and produced before filming began, so scenes and choreography are built around finished songs rather than songs being fitted to finished scenes. Add large choruses, heavy percussion and long, slow vocal lines, and you get songs that sound staged even with your eyes closed. Three that show it best:
- Albela Sajan (Bajirao Mastani, 2015): Shashi Suman, Kunal Pandit, Prithvi Gandharva, Kanika Joshi, Rashi Raagga and Geetikka Manjrekar sing a classical number that Bhansali had already used in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, where Ismail Darbar was the composer. Comparing the two versions is a good way to hear Bhansali's own hand.
Albela Sajan | Bajirao Mastani | Sanjay Leela Bhansali - Aayat (Bajirao Mastani, 2015): Arijit Singh with Mujtaba Aziz Naza, Shadab Faridi, Altamash Faridi and Farhan Sabri, on lyrics by A. M. Turaz and Nasir Faraaz. It is the soundtrack's qawwali-flavoured centrepiece.
Aayat | Bajirao Mastani | Arijit Singh - Jab Saiyaan (Gangubai Kathiawadi, 2022): Shreya Ghoshal's slow, restrained love song, which won her the Mirchi Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year and earned A. M. Turaz a Filmfare nomination for Best Lyricist.
Jab Saiyaan | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Shreya Ghoshal
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sanjay Leela Bhansali a music director?
Yes. He is the credited song composer of Guzaarish, Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat and Gangubai Kathiawadi, co-composer of Malaal, and composer of the songs in Heeramandi. He won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction (songs) for Padmaavat.
Who is the music director of Ram Leela?
Sanjay Leela Bhansali composed the songs of Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013), with lyrics by Siddharth-Garima. The one exception is Mor Bani Thanghat Kare, an adaptation of a Gujarati folk song credited to Hemu Gadhavi. Monty Sharma composed the background score.
Which was the first film Bhansali composed music for?
Guzaarish (2010), starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. It was his debut as a film song composer.
Did Sanjay Leela Bhansali compose the music for Devdas?
No. The Devdas (2002) songs were composed by Ismail Darbar, with Birju Maharaj composing Kaahe Chhed, and Monty Sharma wrote the background score. Ismail Darbar also composed Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
Who composes the background music in Bhansali's films?
It varies, but Sanchit Balhara has scored Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat, and with his brother Ankit Balhara he scored Malaal and Gangubai Kathiawadi. Monty Sharma scored Ram-Leela, and Benedict Taylor and Naren Chandavarkar scored Heeramandi.
Our Original Article (2013)
Gaurav Aradhye wrote this article in October 2013. It is preserved below as originally published.
I had never thought Sanjay Leela Bhansali would become a music director, composing melodies for his own films (at least for now) and even if the idea felt a bit alien, I had never thought he would be as good as he has become as a composer.
The first movie Bhansali composed music for is Guzaarish. Although the song “Udi” become a huge hit, it’s not the same song that bolstered Bhansali was going to be a very good composer, but another song caught my attention… It is a silent one.. Sung by Shakar Mahadevan. It was used as a background track in the film.
धुंदली धुंदली शाम हुई
अब तो वापस आ जाओ
के इस समय तो परिंदे भी
लौट आते है …. |
Listen to the track first if you haven’t yet. Also, if you have. 😀
Those days I remained gloomy most of the time, only inner me knew that and why. And such songs made me more glum. Sorrows are like wounds. Even if they are painful, scratching them gives you a different kind of pleasure. Such songs gave me this kind of pleasure. Unfortunately, they still do, but the pain feels a little less now. May be I am used to it now.
The key of Bhansali’s success as Music Director lies in his ability to compose giving full justice to the lyrics, feel and mood of the song. He is not too eager to show his composing skills. He is there, relaxed, understanding how a particular song should be composed, and then he does it how it should be done.
He has done the same for “Ramleela” and 3 of this film’s songs have secured a special place in my heart. Two of them are too energetic and one is … no words for that song.. Laal Ishq. वाह, क्या बात है… अरिजीत सिंह और संजय लीला भंसाली. ये लाल इश्क , ये मलाल इश्क, ये ऐब इश्क, ये बैर इश्क… This song will remain one of my favourites of Arijit. The song is composed in a subtle mixture of Raag Bihag and Raag Kalyaan. I did some experimentation too with this song.. adding some Kalyan saragams to it. Listen to it here on my SoundCloud.
Another is “नगाड़े संग ढोल बाजे‘. The key factor to note here is how Shreya changes the treble in her voice line to line. Quite amazing!!!
And “धतड ततड” is anyway a fantastic song.
See how all these songs are different and yet fantastic. That’s where Bhansali has succeeded.
Expecting a lot more variety from him in coming years!
