Sanjay Leela Bhansali has made his debut on OTT with Heeramandai. The series is set in the pre-independence era, Heermandi revolves around the lives of tawaifs (courtesans) in the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore, Pakistan. Needless to say, SLB's Heeramandi is a visual delight with a larger-than-life set, heavy costumes and jewellery that will leave you spellbound.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Pakistan's reception of Heeramandi
The series has got mixed reactions from netizens, a section of fans loved it and are praising SLB's cinema In an interview with IndieWire, Sanjay Leela Bhansali spoke about telling a story set in Lahore, and what he feels about his Pakistani audience.
"There was so much love that I received from Pakistan, people waiting for it anxiously, waiting for this to be told. It's a piece that somehow brings us all together when all India was one, it was undivided. These people belong to us as much as they belong to them. I think they belong to both of us and both countries are showing a lot of love for finally the show being made. I still feel we're all one, I still feel that we're all connected in so many ways. There's a lot of love for people on both sides, leave aside a few people who would want to create issues — but those are not relevant."
Sanjay Leela Bhansali has often grabbed headlines for his work, artistic cinematic display of emotions and often portrays characters meticulously after in-depth research, known for his larger-than-life grandeur sets, beautiful artwork and much more. Despite all this SLB's films face issues.
Ahead of Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh's Padmavaat. He was physically attacked by members of a fringe outfit on the film's set. Speaking about the same, Sanjay Leela Bhansali told IndieWire that he didn't face any pushback while making Heeramandi, which doesn't have any non-Muslim or Sikh characters of note.
"There are things in the characters that connect to people in my work. That is why they talk about it. A lot of people like it, a lot of people don't like it. It's a part of a give-and-take with an audience and filmmaker. I don't mind being loved when they give me love, and I don't mind quite being criticised when they don't connect to my work."
In the interview, when Bhansali was asked about the setting of the series, he said, "There was so much love that I received from Pakistan, people waiting for it anxiously, waiting for this to be told. It's a piece that somehow brings us all together when all India was one, it was undivided."
SLB wanted to cast Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan
In an earlier interview, SLB said that he wanted to cast Pakistani actors such as Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan and Imran Abbas.
Heeramandi was dropped on May 1, the cast includes Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman.
