Sanjay Leela Bhansali Fulfills His Father's Last Wish Through Heeramandi - Here's How

Sanjay Leela Bhansali recently made his digital debut with the web series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. The star-studded show has been receiving rave reveiews from audiences and critics alike. Recently, the filmmaker reflected how his passion for art and cinema began with his father. He also mentioned that he couldn't fulfill his father's final wish of listening to the song Hayo Rabba.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali recalls his father's last wish

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's father, Navin Bhansali, was a producer who never achieved success. His last film, Jahazi Lootera, bombed at the box office. In an interview with the New York Times, SLB recalled that on his deathbed, his father made an unusual request: he wanted to hear Reshma's song Hayo Rabba. The director stated that Reshma was known for her raw, untrained voice, and that after India's Partition, she remained in Pakistan, where the Bhansali family also had roots.

However, when Sanjay Leela Bhansali returned with the cassette of the song, his father had already slipped into coma. He said, "I had no place to play ‘Hayo Rabba,’ and my mother kept saying, Play “Hayo Rabba”! The reason for choosing this particular song, according to him, was his father’s wish to connect with his roots." "Can films ever capture this?" he added.

Heeramandi was in the making for 18 years

Speaking about the show during the LA premiere, Sanjay Leela Bhansali shared that it had taken him almost 18 years to make Heeramandi.

He recalled no OTT platform being present at the time when he first thought about the project. He shared, "The script for Heeramandi was charming, vast, and epic. The story was too long for a film, and I had the concept 18 years ago, but there were no OTT platforms then." The series transports viewers to the 1940s, delving into the lives of courtesans filled with love, betrayal, power, and the struggle for independence. The show premiered on Netflix on May 1.