The maverick director who gave us gems like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Black and Guzaarish turns 49 today. We take a look at his work

Born to a humble Gujarati family on February 24, 1963, Sanjay Leela Bhansali studied editing at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He first worked in Bollywood as an assistant to filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra on Parinda, 1942: A Love Story and Kareeb. Bhansali made his directorial debut in 1996 with Khamoshi: The Musical which starred his one-time good friend Salman Khan, along with Manisha Koirala, Nana Patekar and Seema Biswas. The film was not a hit but garnered critical acclaim. Bhansali’s next – Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam – came three years later. It was a lavish film starring another good friend Aishwarya Rai along with Salman and Ajay Devgn. The love triangle with a tragic end worked and the film went on to become a hit. Click here to read more