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Updated September 26th, 2021 at 19:26 IST

Sanjay Leela Bhansali on his Netflix series Heeramandi: 'It's vast and ambitious'

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has partnered with Netflix to make his digital debut with his ambitious project titled 'Heeramandi'.

Reported by: Varsha Agarwal
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Image source: #HEERAMANDI-INSTA/SANJAYLEELABHANSALI-INSTA | Image:self
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Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has partnered with Netflix to make his digital debut with his ambitious project titled Heeramandi. The web series explores the stories of courtesans during pre-independent India.

Recently, Bhansali has opened about the ideation behind his 'ambitious project' Heeramandi in a featurette on Netflix's India Tudum Spotlight. The director said the series is very vast and includes an eclectic star cast. The project was initiated by his friend Moin Baig that explores love, betrayal, succession, and politics in the kothas.

"‘Heeramandi’ was something that my friend Moin Baig got to me 14 years ago. And then finally, when we presented it to Netflix and they loved it. They thought it had a great potential to make a mega-series. It's very ambitious. It's very big. It's very vast. You have the story of the courtesans pre-independence. They kept music and poetry and dance and the art of living the politics within the kothas and how to emerge as the winner. It is a difficult one but I hope we come across with flying colours this time,” said Bhansali.

Bhansali, who has marked 25 years in the Hindi film industry, said he is forward to making more such interesting projects. “All these things I have made. I think 9 films I have made & making the 10th one. It’s been 25 years and 25 more to go,” he said.

Netflix announces Heeramandi at its fan event Tudum

Netflix has recently announced ‘Heeramandi’ as their spotlight show from India in the global slate of announcements at its global fan event Tudum. Bankrolled by Bhansali Productions, Heeramandi will explore stories of courtesans and the hidden cultural reality of Heeramandi, a dazzling district, during pre-independent India. 

Earlier, Netflix has announced that it is collaborating with the filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the new web series Heeramandi. The streaming company wrote, "We are excited to announce that Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi IS COMING TO NETFLIX Words aren't enough to explain how excited we are that Sanjay Leela Bhansali is partnering with us for this epic Netflix Original series but these emojis come pretty close[sic]."

Sanjay Leela Bhansali shares anecdotes from his childhood

In an interview at Netflix's TUDUM, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali shared anecdotes from his childhood that inspired him to become a filmmaker. He said, “I remember when I was a four-year-old kid and my father had taken me to a shoot and he said you sit here and I’ll meet my friends and come. I was in the studio and it seemed the most comfortable to me. More than a school, a playground, a cousin’s house, or anywhere in the world, I thought it was the most beautiful place. When I look back at 25 years, I think it's very precious to me because you have to be blessed to be able to get a chance to make a film and that's why I cling to the studio because the studio floor is the most magical, that's my temple, that's my everything.”

Watch the video here:

(Image: #HEERAMANDI/Instagram/SANJAYLEELABHANSALI/Instagram)

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Published September 26th, 2021 at 19:26 IST

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