Mumbai: Ever since Netflix announced its collaboration with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, fans were left excited to know more about the cast, story and much more.
It was first being reported that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is going to have a pivotal part in the film, and a source informed Bollywood Hungama, “It is the same part for which Rekha was being considered. But it is believed Rekha has become difficult to direct over the years. Bhansali’s enthusiasm to sign Rekha was considerably dampened by her treatment of director Abhishek Kapoor during the making of Fitoor when Rekha had to be dropped overnight and replaced by Tabu. Rather than face such problems, Sanjay has dropped the idea of casting Rekha and may opt for Aishwarya instead.”
The magnum opus series will explore stories of courtesans and the hidden cultural reality of Heeramandi, a district during pre-independent India. It’s a series about love, betrayal, succession, and politics in the ‘kothas’ which promises Bhansali’s trademark larger-than-life sets, multifaceted characters, and soulful compositions.
Recently there were reporsts that Netflix has agreed to pay a whopping Rs. 35 crore for just the first season of the show. A source close to the project informed the news portal, “Heeramandi promises all that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has become synonymous with over the years. So essentially it is not just a series, it will be an SLB magnum opus on the digital platform.”
The upcoming venture seems to be a star-studded affair with the likes of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt and Madhuri Dixit-Nene rumoured to have been roped in for the project.