Sanjay Leela Bhansali to debut on Netflix with ‘Heeramandi’

With Heeramandi, streaming giant Netflix continues its foray into Indian television content.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, known for his’more is more’ style and films such as Devdas and Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, will direct and produce the series. Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal, and Sanjeeda Sheikh are expected to star in Heeramandi.

The series, which is currently in post-production, is about the courtesans of Lahore and their lives before partition. According to IndiWire, the news was made public following a fireside chat between Bhansali and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

“Audiences want stories that help them escape and connect,” Sarandos said.

“Heeramandi, like all of Sanjay’s stories, is not style over substance but style and substance together. At Netflix, our responsibility to creators is to give them the tools to do their life’s work and empower them to bring their vision alive. We’re thrilled to collaborate with a visionary like Sanjay and bring the world of Heeramandi to a global audience.’

Speaking at the event Bhansali said: “Heeramandi has a special place in my heart as it has stayed with me for 14 years…The most compelling aspect of storytelling for me is the opportunity to represent real characters, especially women, and portray their emotions with interesting nuances. The women of Heeramandi are queens in their own right, and my effort with this story is to bring these historic characters to life with a modern approach. Netflix made this possible for us by nurturing and making an artist like me feel at home.”

“Heeramandi is the biggest project that I’ve made, it’s so huge in scale,” he said. “I had to do something special … to make [Sarandos] proud.”

No release date has yet been announced for the series.