Bollywood is a dreamland where actors can transport from one
location to the scenic Himalayas in less than a second. The world of cinema is
larger-than-life, dream-like, and opulent and the picture-perfect’ backdrops at
exotic locations are the soul of a movie.

Subtlety is not what Sanjay Leela
Bhansali is known for. He is one filmmaker who has an eye for detail and his
grand sets are not just visually spectacular, but most expensive.

Take a look at Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grand and expensive films
sets:

Padmaavat

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is an artist and that is evident from most
of his movies, like Khamoshi: The Musical, Black and his 2018 release
Padmaavat, which caused a lot of controversy. It was a visual treat and went on
to become one of the highest grossing Indian films of all time.

According to
Architectural Digest, the movie was supposed to be shot at Chittor Fort.
However, due to the protests and vandalism, SBL had to recreate the fort in
Mumbai.

The designers took inspiration from old Rajasthani miniature paintings.
Bhansali spent Rs 215 crore (approximately) on the film set.

FUN FACT: Bhansali
recreated Chittor Fort in Mumbai.

Bajirao Mastani

Those who love period drama would have loved the movie that is
based on the life of heroic Peshwa Bajirao who falls in love with Mastani, a
warrior princess. The film had Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, and Deepika
Padukone playing the pivotal roles.

The grand film was shot at Aaina Mahal.
According to Architectural Digest, it took about 8-9 years of research to create
23 magnificent sets. 45,000 planks were used to build Shaniwar Wada, film’s
biggest set.

Not just that, but hand-carved wood was used to make the walls.
Over 13 assistant set designers and 550 workers created the set in 45 days. The
145 crore movie was inspired by the aesthetics of Mughal-E-Azam.

FUN FACT: According
to reports, the set was designed using over 20,000 intricately designed mirrors
handpicked from Jaipur and 13 chandeliers.

Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela

Another magnificent, visual treat by Sanjay Leela Bhansali was
the epic Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. The film brought Deepika Padukone and
Ranveer Singh together. From stunning sets to the vibrant locations, everything
was brilliantly visualized by Bhansali.

According to reports, the massive
haveli courtyard, where Deepika is dancing to the song Nagaada Sang Dhol,
wearing a 30 kg ghagra was one of the most expensive sets created in the
studios of Mumbai. It took Bhansali and production designers almost 3 months to
observe locations and plan their sets.

FUN FACT: SBL
converted a gym into a film set so that Ranveer can cut down on the time
traveling between shooting set and gym.

Devdas

Devdas is undoubtedly one of the best performances of all the
three lead actor – Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel, the 2002 Devdas’s set was built
with utmost perfection. From Paro’s haveli to Chandramukhi’s kotha, everything
about the film is nothing less than spectacular.

According to Filmfare,
Bhansali and his team took 9 months to finalise and design the sets for Devdas,
which cost them upwards of Rs 20 crore.

FUN FACT: Rs
12 crore were spent on creating Chandramukhi’s (character played by Madhuri
Dixit) kotha.

What do you think about these sets? Let us know in the comments
section.