Composer Monty Sharma reveals he postponed his wedding five times because of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas: 'I snapped...'

Longtime collaborator Monty Sharma, who has composed music for many of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films, including Saawariya and Black, and who also worked on the background music for Devdas, recently talked about their working relationship.

Bhansali is known for being a hard taskmaster.

Although Bhansali gave him a lot of freedom as an artist, Sharma recalled that the director would occasionally make demands that did not fit with his vision. He also revealed that SLB's concerns about the film's completion led him to postpone his wedding five times while Devdas was being made.In a chat with Lallantop Cinema, Monty recalled working with the ace director on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, saying the director often demanded “magic” in the music.

While Bhansali is known for his love for classics like Lata Mangeshkar, Sharma noted they mostly saw his intense side on set. Despite frequent creative clashes, Bhansali gave him the freedom to work in his own style.While speaking about the recording of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam's title track, Sharma recalled that Sanjay Leela Bhansali made a last-minute request for an elaborate 60-violin orchestra. Just before the session, Bhansali asked Sharma to add more layers to the composition.

Sharma responded by reminding him that, like seasoning in food, music needs balance—and only so much can be added without overwhelming the whole.Monty recalled a moment from the making of Devdas when Sanjay Leela Bhansali insisted on using the song Silsila Yeh Chahat Ka repeatedly in the background score. Sharma, however, had a different creative vision and chose not to follow the instruction initially. This led to Bhansali confronting him for not using the song even after five reels.

In response, Sharma briefly removed all themes and filled the background with songs.

Later, Bhansali called him to clarify that the miscommunication was due to assistants interfering and told Sharma to trust his instincts and continue working with his original approach.According to Monty, Bhansali is a "short-tempered" person who prefers to express his rage on others so that others can sense his anger around them rather than yelling at the person he is upset with.

Then he remembered that Bhansali was concerned about finishing Devdas, so he put off getting married.He further recalled that just two days before his wedding—already postponed five times for Devdas—he was still scouting locations. During this time, Sanjay Leela Bhansali called him in a panic, saying Shah Rukh Khan had watched the film and strongly disliked the background score, calling it the worst he had heard. Sharma, taken aback, reminded Bhansali that he had approved the entire score earlier. When Sharma reached the studio, he discovered the issue was due to a mixing error.

He told Bhansali that such technical matters weren’t his domain, and the entire background score was reworked after that.