Sanjay Leela Bhansali made his OTT debut with Heeramandi. The show is based on the Indian independence movement during the British Raj.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali defended the historical inaccuracies in Heeramandi.
When asked about the accuracy in his epic show, Sanjay opined, “In my mind, it was the most romantic place to be in. I come from that world. I’ve always watched films with pimps and prostitutes around in the theatres. My cinema will always have that dramatic touch and that larger-than-life approach, which is not subtle, which is not delicate, but it is heartfelt. It’ll have a dignity of it being told on the screen because I work on the visual of it. It has to be worthy of being there because I’m reliving a certain moment of my life, of this life, maybe past life.”
He further added,“I am responsible for giving my audience an experience, and I will give them the fullest of mine. I’m not here to make money, I’m here to make a film. I’m here to make an experience for you.”
Heeramandi is based on the red-light district called Heera Mandi in Lahore (now, in present-day Pakistan) during the pre-partition era. Sanjay’s magnum opus chronicles the lives of courtesans in Heera Mandi and their relationships with Nawabs at that time. The narrative of Heeramandi revolves around the treachery and exploitation of British colonialism in the backdrop of India’s independence revolution.
Heeramandi features Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman in pivotal characters. Fardeen Khan, Farida Jalal, Jason Shah and Mark Bennington also play crucial roles in the series.
