In the post-Raj Kapoor generation, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has made a deeper impact globally than any other film-maker. His impressive oeuvre from Khamoshi: The Musical to the ready-for-release Black has also given the sagging film music industry a new impetus and a sense of awakened creativity.

Now with the prestigious Sight & Sound magazine selecting Bhansali's Devdas as one of the best film soundtracks ever, Bhansali discusses the importance of music to Hindi cinema.

Q: Are you flattered by ' Devdas ' being in 'Sight & Sound's list of great musicals?
A: It's a comforting thought. When Devdas was released two years ago the soundtrack didn't make the impact we had hoped for. The cynics said it came at a time when music meant a sound that appealed to the young and that the Devdas sound wasn't designed for the young.

Devdas required a neo-classical sound. How could we bring a pop-format without making the product look odd and obscene? And yet I had to place the classical element into a popular format to make it accessible to the largest number of people possible.

Ten years from now, the songs of Devdas will be recognised as a trendsetter in Hindi cinema. Look at the range from the mujra to the nautanki to a birha and a bidaai . It's simple straight-from-the-heart and most importantly Indian music score. And that's the element in the Devdas score which they have recognised abroad.

Q: Do you think western audiences are more discerning?
A: Devdas brought a new image of India to them. The grass-root culture which is also very important, was here replaced by sher-o-shayari , the opulence of a feudal culture, the dance, music. This was a new aesthetic experience for the western audience.

I must say the technological enhancements in the prints made by the French made a vast difference to the end-product. Technically we are way behind. I feel audiences abroad accept our films much more objectively. They didn't judge Devdas on the basis of what I had done before or what Bimal Roy had done to the literary classic.

I remember at Cannes the western audience was spellbound. Only some Indian delegates bitched at Cannes. I think it's important to watch a creation without the baggage of the past. Otherwise, we're looking at several other films besides the one on-screen. People here said Khamoshi was better than my other films. It is my favourite too. But I can't keep making Khamoshi repeatedly. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to Black .

Q: How much did you contribute to the music of 'Devdas'?
A: I don't think any soundtrack can be complete without the director's active contribution. I discovered the composers and Monty found Shreya Ghosal to sing for Aishwarya Rai and worked extensively on the sound.

I visited Kolkata to capture authentic Bengali sounds. I picked up Bangla folk because folk is where the essence of any region's music lies. Then I went back to every Bengali-Assamese composer from S D Burman to R D Burman, after which Ismail and I worked on the sound.

Our comfort level was so great that after I composed the opening lines of Maar dala he took it from there. I'd often give him mukhdas and other snatches to work on. He was never offended by my output.

Q: Do we need to look at film-making more macro-cosmically?
A: I think the problem in our film industry is a lack of unity. Instead of looking at cinema as a collaborative effort all film-makers are pulling in different directions. Sadly there are no films like Bandini , Sujata and Do Bigha Zameen any more. The thinkers have ceased to function in Hindi cinema.

We are only looking at formulas and trends. There is so much confusion about what kind of film is being made and for whom. Works of art can't be designed consciously. I feel niche film-making is a sham. You can't make a film for one group of people. Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali just broke free from that little village in Bengal to become an international phenomenon. You never know what will work. And you can't force anything to work.

The truly big films like Mother India and Sholay didn't work in selected pockets. It is important for us to be fearless creators.

Q: Your latest film ' Black ' departs from 'Devdas' almost diametrically.
A: It was a spontaneous decision. After Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas I could've easily planned another film in the romantic genre. But I felt like moving away. My audience wants me to move on. Black is a subject I've lived with for six years. I just had to make it.

Though Black has no songs it's treated musically. The lyricism is inherent in the scenes which look like song sequences. A song isn't the only way to interpret the lyricism. I didn't miss songs in Black . They would've been a hindrance to the narrative.

Q: Can a Hindi film be complete without songs?
A: Songs have been integral even to classics like Do Bigha Zameen and Mother India . But I wanted to take another approach to Black. The audience today isn't stuck on songs. Half the audience takes a break during song sequences. I love shooting songs. And I work harder over them than any other aspect of my film. But that doesn't mean I should be stuck on them.

I don't think I'll allow audiences to miss songs in Black . I think it's time we stopped mixing genres. Let's not make a comedy-musical-thriller, please! We've come to such a sorry state that people are picking up classic songs by Lata ji and re-mixing them. The madness must stop.