Sanjay Leela Bhansali Reveals Why He Portrays Women As Heroes In His Films: We Come From A Land...

Sanjay Leela Bhansali captivated Los Angeles audiences with a unique retrospective of his career when he hosted a special screening of his last theatrical release, Gangubai Kathiawadi. The event was held at the Aero Theatre, where after the screening of the Alia Bhatt starrer, viewers were given an exclusive look at Bhansali's much-awaited Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. The filmmaker also talked about his bias towards strong female characters and how he portrays them on the screen. 

Sanjay Leela Bhansali on his fascination with strong female characters

During his appearance at the Aero Theatre, Bhansali interacted with the audience. He talked about his creative process and the origin of his love for strong female characters. The director said, “We come from a land where we worship the Goddess. I’ve seen incredibly strong women throughout my life. Women need to be heard, and seen, and their stories need to be told. They are the creators of mankind. We are all born to women-kind.”

Bhansali has previously given life to several memorable female characters like Mastani in Bajirao Mastani, Paro and Chandramukhi in Devdas, Padmavati in Padmavat and Leela in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, among others. The filmmaker is now gearing up for the OTT debut of Heeramandi, the screening of which was hosted in Mumbai on April 29. It was attended by several Bollywood bigwigs including Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Ananya Panday, Aditya Roy Kapur and more. 

What is Heeramandi about?

Billed as an epic saga of love, power, revenge and freedom, the series explores the cultural reality of Heeramandi, a dazzling district, through the stories of courtesans and their patrons set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle of the 1940s. Based on the concept by Moin Beg, the series is created, directed and produced by Bhansali. He also serves as a producer on the show.

It has been Bhansali's one of the most important projects. Talking about it, the filmmaker earlier said, "This is an epic, first-of-its-kind series based on the courtesans of Lahore. It is an ambitious, grand, and all-encompassing series; therefore I am nervous yet excited about making it. I am looking forward to my partnership with Netflix and bringing Heeramandi to audiences all over the world."