Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (transl. A Dance of Bullets: Ram-Leela), also known as Ram-Leela, is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic tragedy film written and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who also created its original soundtrack. The film was produced together by Bhansali and Eros International's Kishore Lulla. It stars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in leading roles, with Priyanka Chopra appearing in the song "Ram Chahe Leela." Other actors in the film include Supriya Pathak, Richa Chadda, Sharad Kelkar, Gulshan Devaiah, Barkha Bisht Sengupta, and Abhimanyu Singh. The story is based on the tragedy Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It follows the love story between two characters named Ram and Leela, who come from two rival gangster families. Their love is forbidden because of the long-standing conflict between their families.

The director had the idea for the movie while working on his first film, Khamoshi: The Musical. A lack of money caused the project to be delayed. In 2012, the project was restarted, and Padukone and Singh were chosen for the lead roles after considering many other actors. Principal photography began in Gujarat and later moved to Rajasthan. Most of the filming took place on sets, even though the plan had been to avoid this. The music score was composed by Monty Sharma, and the song lyrics were written by Siddharth–Garima.

The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 15, 2013, but the Delhi High Court initially stopped the release. The title was changed from Ram-Leela to Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela to follow the court's order, allowing the film to be released on the planned date. The movie received mostly positive reviews, with praise for the performances of Padukone, Pathak, and Singh, as well as the soundtrack. Some critics pointed out issues with the story and the use of violence. Ram-Leela earned ₹220.58 crore during its theatrical run and became the sixth highest-grossing Hindi film of 2013.

The film received eight nominations at the Filmfare Awards, winning three, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Padukone and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Pathak. At the International Indian Film Academy Awards, it received nine nominations, including for Best Film, and won two awards.

Plot

In the fictional Gujarati village of Ranjhaar, known for its uncontrolled production and sale of weapons, two clans—Rajadi and Sanera—have been in conflict for 500 years. A fight begins when Bhavani, a Sanera, shoots the son of Meghji Bhai, a Rajadi leader. Bhavani is nearly killed by Meghji Bhai, but Ram, Meghji Bhai’s younger brother, stops him. Ram is a wanderer who deals in stolen cars and illegal materials, but he wants to create peace between the clans.

During Holi, Ram enters the Sanera home and flirts with Leela. They fall in love and plan to run away together. However, a sad event happens when Leela’s older brother, Kanji Bhai, accidentally kills Ram’s brother and is then killed by Ram. Despite this, Ram and Leela run away and marry. Tensions grow between them, as Leela wants a proper wedding, while Ram feels anxious and stressed. Before their marriage can be completed, Ram’s friends betray him by telling Leela’s family where they are. Leela is taken back home by Bhavani, her cousin, while Ram is praised by his clan for damaging Leela’s reputation. He is given the title of chieftain.

Leela’s mother, Dhankor Baa, arranges her marriage to a person living abroad. Leela refuses, showing Ram’s wedding ring. In response, her mother cuts off Leela’s finger. When Ram learns this, he also cuts off his own finger. Leela sends Rasila, the widow of Kanji, to tell Ram to take her away. Rasila is attacked by Ram’s friends. When Dhankor Baa hears about this, she sends her men to attack Kesar, Meghji’s widow, and other Rajadi women.

Ram enters Leela’s home and asks Dhankor Baa to consider peace. She invites him to celebrate Navratri, planning to kill him. However, Bhavani secretly shoots Dhankor Baa to blame the Rajadis. With her mother injured, Leela becomes chieftain. She reluctantly negotiates with Ram, dividing trade routes and travel paths, with the condition that the clans will never interact again.

Bhavani tricks Leela into signing a document that orders the killing of the entire Rajadi clan. During Dusshera, as the Ramlila parade ends, many Rajadis are killed, and the village is on the edge of war. Ram and Leela realize they cannot be together and shoot each other, unaware that Dhankor Baa changed her mind after meeting Meghji’s young son and killed Bhavani, ordering peace between the clans. She arrives too late to save the lovers, and the two clans come together to cremate their bodies.

Cast

• Deepika Padukone plays Leela Sanera, who is based on Juliet
• Ranveer Singh plays Ram Rajadi, who is based on Romeo
• Supriya Pathak Kapur plays Dhankor Sanera, who is based on Lady Capulet
• Richa Chadha plays Rasila, who is based on Nurse
• Gulshan Devaiah plays Bhavani, who is based on Paris
• Sharad Kelkar plays Kanji Bhai, who is based on Tybalt
• Abhimanyu Singh plays Meghji Bhai, who is based on Mercutio
• Raza Murad plays Sarpanch, who is based on Prince Escalus
• Homi Wadia plays Radhu Bhai
• Jameel Khan plays Vanka
• Barkha Sengupta plays Kesar
• Anshul Trivedi plays Mandar
• Tarun Anand plays Ujjwal
• Masood Akhtar plays Pujalal
• Mukesh Agrohari plays Vallu
• Faizan Khan plays Goli, who is the son of Meghji Bhai and Kesar
• Banwari Jhol plays Popat
• Priyanka Chopra appears in the song "Ram Chahe Leela" (special appearance)

Production

Bhansali began planning Ram-Leela while working on the film Khamoshi: The Musical. Khamoshi received praise from critics but did not earn much money, which made it hard for Bhansali to fund Ram-Leela. Instead, he directed another film called Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which was also set in Gujarat. He felt making two films in the same place might be repetitive, so he waited. Bhansali wanted to create a film that honored Gujarat, saying, "I am Gujarati at heart. I love Gujarat's music, culture, and food, and I want to share these things with others." The film was dedicated to Bhansali's mother, Leela. He described Ram-Leela as his "most violent film" at that time, even though the filmmaking style was similar to his earlier works, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas.

Bhansali called Ram-Leela a "desi adaptation" of William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. He explained that the film is not connected to the Hindu gods Rama or Krishna, and the character Ram does not represent the god. He shared that his childhood environment influenced the film, as his family members spoke in ways that seemed very direct and natural. Bhansali felt it was important to show the deep connection between the minds and bodies of the lovers, not just their looks. In the film, the lovers do not have sex because Bhansali believed their unity in death was more meaningful.

Bhansali described Romeo and Juliet as "the mother of all love stories" and wanted to create a new version of the story that had not been explored in films before. While changing many parts of the story, he kept the theme of misunderstandings between lovers from different families. He felt the idea of a feud between families that causes destruction was very powerful. Bhansali said his version of the story was more flirtatious and sensual than the original, and he believed it was the best interpretation of Romeo and Juliet. He also said that violence, like guns, was an important part of the story, as it was in Shakespeare's play, and he felt it was important for a filmmaker to try new and challenging ideas.

The screenplay was written by the writing team Siddharth-Garima. Producer Sandip Singh gave them a choice between three films, and they picked Ram-Leela. They were impressed by the film's outline and thought it was similar to the style of Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann. They worked with Bhansali on costumes, location scouting, filming schedules, editing, subtitles, and post-production. After writing the first version of the screenplay, Siddharth-Garima traveled to Gujarat to research local language, slang, and accents.

Lines from Romeo and Juliet that rhyme were translated into Hindi for the film. The writers focused more on humor and hints than the tragedy in the original play.

Pakistani actor Imran Abbas was first considered for the role of Ram, but he turned it down because of work commitments. Bhansali then offered the role to Sushant Singh Rajput, but Rajput had to decline due to scheduling conflicts. Kareena Kapoor and Ranveer Singh were cast as the lead actors. Singh later confirmed his role and shared his excitement about working with Kapoor. Bhansali was impressed with Singh's performance in Band Baaja Baaraat and cast him. However, Kapoor left the film 10 days before filming began to work on a different movie. With sets already built and filming approaching, Bhansali asked Priyanka Chopra to join the film. Chopra was officially cast in July 2012 and was set to begin filming in August. Before filming started, Bhansali replaced Chopra with Deepika Padukone. Chopra later stopped speaking to Bhansali, as confirmed by the CEO of Bhansali Productions. Padukone publicly expressed her interest in the film in August 2012. After finishing his previous film, Lootera, Singh confirmed he was cast in August 2012.

In an interview, Bhansali said he met Padukone while she was sick and was impressed by her appearance. He cast her for the role. Richa Chadda was reported to play a major role, chosen by Shruti Mahajan and Parag Mehta. Chadda initially denied the claim but later agreed. She did not receive the full script until a month into filming. Bhansali wanted someone with a darker skin tone and Indian features for the role, so Chadda was selected. He asked her to watch the film Mirch Masala to prepare for her look, which was inspired by actress Smita Patil. Chadda tried to copy Patil's acting style. Barkha Bisht Sengupta, a television actress, played a supporting role. Bhansali told her to forget acting for the role. Gulshan Devaiah was reported to play the antagonist Bhavani. Devaiah said his character was from the Jadeja clan and had many complex traits, different from any role he had played before. He said the film was not similar to Romeo and Juliet except for the basic story.

Singh, who plays a Gujarati boy, had to learn some Gujarati words and build muscle for his role. He joined a 12-week fitness program with Stevens, eating a strict diet of fish, broccoli, turkey, and green tea while avoiding roti, rice, and sweets. He worked out for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. He started filming at 9 a.m. and worked until 6 p.m., then worked out again. Singh said not drinking alcohol often helped him achieve the look faster than expected.

Padukone wore a 30 kg ghagra with a 50-meter 'ghera' in the film's first look. She said the film was "tough" for her, as it was mentally, physically, and emotionally demanding. She credited Bhansali's high standards for the challenge, even though she became emotional on set. For the song Nagada Song Dhol, she had to learn Garba, a traditional dance. Bhansali asked Singh and Padukone to spend time together to build their romantic connection. They spent over 12 hours a day together, partying, watching films, and attending events. Since they were not familiar with each other, Bhansali wanted them to get to know each other.

There were rumors that Madhuri Dixit would perform an item number in the film, and later that Aishwarya Rai would be cast. Priyanka Chopra eventually appeared in a song. She said she loved the song and was excited to challenge herself. Chopra had to wear long sleeves to hide the muscles she built for her role in Mary Kom.

Wasiq Khan was the production designer for Ram-Leela. He finished working on Rowdy Rathore, a film by Bhansali, before joining Ram-Leela. Khan said Bhansali sometimes spent 3 to 5 hours on one shot to achieve "perfection." Since Bhansali wanted to highlight Gujarat's architecture and royal homes, the film

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album was composed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who created it for his second film after Guzaarish (2010). The lyrics were written by Siddharth–Garima. Monty Sharma created the background music. The album includes eleven songs. One song, "Mor Bani Thanghat Kare," is a 1944 Gujarati song translated by Jhaverchand Meghani and composed by Hemu Gadhavi. All other songs were composed by Bhansali. The album was released on October 4, 2013, after a delay caused by Ranveer Singh's health problems.

Marketing and release

In January 2013, the first teaser of the movie's poster was released. It showed the lead actors standing near a group of guns. Padukone shared the release date on her Twitter account. On September 16, 2013, an official poster was released, and the trailer was also launched on the same day. At the event, a special rangoli poster for the film was made. Divya Goya of Indian Express wrote, "The film promises to be high on drama and violence, as this time 'Love is at War.'" The film also received praise from actor Amitabh Bachchan.

Some religious groups opposed the movie, saying the original title, Ramleela, was misleading because the film had no connection to Ramlila, a traditional story about Lord Rama, a Hindu deity. A Mumbai court issued a temporary order stopping the use of the term Ramleela in the movie's title. Later, on November 12, 2013, a Delhi court paused the film's release after six people, including members of the Prabhu Samaj Dharmik Ram Leela Committee, claimed the movie hurt religious feelings. The film's title was changed to Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, which led the court to allow the release to proceed as planned.

The film, Ram-Leela, was released on November 14, 2013. It had the widest release in India with over 2,000 screens and 550 screens in other countries, totaling about 2,550 screens worldwide. Some members of the Kshatriya community objected to the use of their community names in the film. As a result, the names "Jadeja" and "Rabari" were changed to "Saneda" and "Rajadi." On November 21, 2013, a court in Lucknow, India, banned the movie in Uttar Pradesh.

The film also competed in the 2014 Pyongyang International Film Festival in North Korea, where it was entered in the Best Film category.

Reception

Ram-Leela received positive reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama gave the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars, writing that the film should be watched for reasons such as the exciting chemistry between the lead actors, strong dramatic content, excellent music, the intense parts of the story, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's direction. Meena Iyer of The Times of India gave the movie 4 out of 5 stars, noting that the film has "nice doses of raunch and ras" and praised the cast's performances and the quality of certain scenes, while suggesting the romance could have been developed better. Mihir Fadnavis of Firstpost said the film has strong direction, production design, and cinematography, and highlighted the cast's performances, calling Deepika Padukone a standout in a film that follows familiar patterns.

Shubha Shetty-Saha of Mid-Day gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a "must watch" and praising the performances of actors like Pathak, Padukone, Singh, Kelkar, Chaddha, and Bisht, but noted that Devaviah's talent was not fully used. Danny Bowes of RogerEbert.com gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, praising Padukone's performance as intense and powerful, describing her as always ready to act with energy. Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, highlighting the chemistry between Deepika and Ranveer in romantic scenes and calling the film more engaging than other recent Bollywood films.

David Chute of Variety praised the dance numbers, saying they were well-staged. Sarita Tanwar of DNA gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it a mix of familiar and new elements and praising the technical quality, music, and supporting cast. Gayatri Shankar of Zee News called the film "first-rate," praising the visuals and performances of Singh and Padukone, but noted some parts were hard to believe. Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, saying Deepika's performance was strong but believed the film ultimately belonged to Ranveer, who gave a bold and emotional performance.

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, saying the romance between the leads was exciting but became overshadowed by loud and overly choreographed action scenes. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, calling it "all body and no soul." Raja Sen gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, calling it confusing and poorly written, and criticized the acting and dialogue.

Ram-Leela earned 1.52 billion rupees in India and 491 million rupees overseas, totaling 2.01 billion rupees globally. As of February 2018, it was the fifth highest-grossing Indian film of 2015 in India, the sixth highest overseas, and the fifth highest worldwide.

The film had a strong opening day with over 155 million rupees in earnings despite limited release due to controversy. It earned 165 million rupees on Saturday and 180 million rupees on Sunday, totaling 500 million rupees for the first weekend, the third highest of the year. Earnings dropped to 77.5 million rupees on Monday. The first week earned about 740 million rupees. The film remained steady in its second weekend, earning 150 million rupees, bringing the ten-day total to 890 million rupees. After two weeks, it earned about 970 million rupees. The second week earned around 230 million rupees. The film earned 103 million rupees in its third week and 32.5 million rupees in its fourth week, reaching a total of 1.1125 billion rupees and was commercially successful. The film ended with lifetime earnings of 1.13 billion rupees.

The movie earned $450,000 (about 28.3 million rupees) in North America on Friday, more than Krrish 3, which earned $311,000 (about 19.5 million rupees). It earned $66,365 (about 3.91 million rupees) in Australia in two days, more than Krrish 3's $58,283 (about 3.435 million rupees). In UAE-GCC, it opened with 1.3 million AED (about 22.2 million rupees). It earned £87,000 (about 8.826 million rupees) in the UK on Friday, debuting at #9 in the chart. In New Zealand, it earned $12,869 (about 673,000 rupees) over two days. The film's overseas earnings were about $4 million in the first weekend and reached $7.25 million in seventeen days. After its fourth weekend, the film earned $7.6 million overseas.

Accolades

• Deepika Padukone won the Best Actress award.
• Supriya Pathak won the Best Supporting Actress award.
• Samir and Arsh Tanna won the Best Choreography award for "Lahu Muh Lag Gaya."
• Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela was nominated for Best Film.
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali was nominated for Best Director.
• Ranveer Singh was nominated for Best Actor.
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali was nominated for Best Music Director.
• Shreya Ghoshal was nominated for Best Female Playback Singer for "Nagada Sang Dhol."

• Vikram Gaikwad won the Best Makeup award.
• Wasiq Khan won the Best Art Direction award.
• Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela was nominated for Best Film.
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali was nominated for Best Director.
• Ranveer Singh was nominated for Best Actor.
• Deepika Padukone was nominated for Best Actress.
• Richa Chadda was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
• Supriya Pathak was nominated for Best Performance in a Negative Role.
• Bhoomi Trivedi was nominated for Best Female Playback Singer for "Ram Chahe Leela."

• Deepika Padukone won the Screen Award for Best Actress.
• Deepika Padukone won the Most Popular Actress Female award (including her work in Chennai Express and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani).
• Anju Modi and Maxima Basu won the Best Costume Design award.
• Wasiq Khan won the Best Production Design award.
• S. Ravi Varman won the Best Cinematography award.
• Bhansali Productions was nominated for Best Film.
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali was nominated for Best Director.
• Richa Chadda was nominated for Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress.
• Ranveer Singh was nominated for Screen Award for Best Actor (Popular Choice).
• Supriya Pathak was nominated for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Female).
• Sameer and Arsh Tanna were nominated for Best Choreography for "Nagada Sang Dhol."

• Rashid Khan won the Apsara Award for Best Art Direction.
• Bhoomi Trivedi won the Apsara Award for Best Singer – Female for "Ram Chahe Leela."
• Maxima Basu and Anju Modi won the Apsara Award for Best Costume Design.
• Supriya Pathak won the Apsara Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role.
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali was nominated for Apsara Award for Best Director.
• Ranveer Singh was nominated for Apsara Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
• Deepika Padukone was nominated for Apsara Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
• Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela was nominated for Apsara Award for Best Film.
• Siddharth-Garima and Sanjay Leela Bhansali were nominated for Apsara Award for Best Screenplay.
• Siddharth-Garima was nominated for Apsara Award for Best Dialogue.
• Vishnu Deva was nominated for Apsara Award for Best Choreography for "Ishqyaun Dhishqyuan" and "Ram Chahe Leela."
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali was nominated for Apsara Award for Best Music.
• Aditya Narayan was nominated for Apsara Award for Best Singer – Male for "Tattad Tattad" and "Ishqyaun Dhishqyuan."
• Richa Chadda was nominated for Apsara Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

• Sanjay Leela Bhansali won the Best Action Film award.
• Bhoomi Trivedi won the Most Entertaining Singer Female award for "Ram Chahe Leela."
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali won the Most Entertaining Music award.
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali was nominated for Most Entertaining Director.
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali was nominated for Most Entertaining Film of the Year 2013.
• Ranveer Singh was nominated for Most Entertaining Actor in a Romantic Film – Male.
• Deepika Padukone was nominated for Most Entertaining Actor in a Romantic Film – Female.
• Deepika Padukone was nominated for Most Entertaining Actor (Film) – Female.
• Ranveer Singh was nominated for Most Entertaining Actor (Film) – Male.
• Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra were nominated for Most Entertaining Dancer (Male & Female) for "Nagada Sang Dhol" and "Ram Chahe Leela," respectively.
• Shreya Ghoshal was nominated for Most Entertaining Singer Female for "Nagada Sang Dhol."
• Aditya Narayan was nominated for Most Entertaining Singer Male for "Tattad Tattad."
• "Nagada Sang Dhol" was nominated for Most Entertaining Song.

• Supriya Pathak won the Best Actor in a Negative Role award.
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali was nominated for Best Film.
• Ranveer Singh was nominated for Best Actor – Male.
• Deepika Padukone was nominated for Best Actor – Female.
• Bhoomi Trivedi was nominated for Best Playback Singer – Female for "Ram Chahe Leela."

• Ranveer Singh won the Best Male Actor award.

• Bhoomi Trivedi won the Upcoming Female Vocalist of The Year award for "Ram Chahe Leela."
• Siddharth-Garima won the Upcoming Lyricist of The Year award for "Laal Ishq."