‘14 years of planning, 18 years of passion’: Sanjay Leela Bhansali on his OTT debut ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’

Mumbai, May 6

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Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has brought his lifelong dream to reality with the release of ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar,’ marking his debut in the OTT world.

Bhansali, while reflecting on his journey, spoke about his childhood visit to a film studio, igniting his passion for storytelling.

“I wanted to make it 18 years ago. Then I thought there was another film to be made, then another. But this was always on my list. After every film, Heeramandi would come out, and I would say once again, wait, it’s too vast. It’s too epic to be made into two or two-and-a-half hours. Then we thought we’d make it into two parts,” he said.

“It’s difficult to make a series, but we’ve made, and I have enjoyed it. I’m glad and thankful to God that we made it. 14 years of planning, 18 years of living with it, and two years of designing, so it’s a lot of work that has gone into it,” he added.

Through the stories of courtesans and their patrons, the series delves deep into the cultural reality of Heeramandi.

It features Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman.

The project promises to be an epic saga of love, power, revenge, and freedom.

‘Heeramandi’ is streaming on Netflix.