Sanjay Leela Bhansali orders re-shoot of ‘Heeramandi’ scenes; risks delayed release of web series

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has fans eagerly awaiting the release of his ambitious project titled ‘Heeramandi’. However, according to the latest reports, the wait for the web series may just get longer as the director has allegedly ordered re-shoots of some portions of the series.
The period drama, which is currently being shot in Mumbai, will have a number of directors shooting different episodes of the series. The first look of the series starring Richa Chaddha, Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari and Sanjeeda Sheikh had fans intrigued about the new series, however, the latest reports claim that Bhansali is unhappy with parts of the series and insisted on reshooting them. This has become a cause of concern as the production is nearly complete. It remains to be seen if the re-shoots will delay the release on Netflix.

The series explores the cultural reality of ‘Heeramandi’, a dazzling district, through the stories of courtesans and their patrons set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle of the 1940s.

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali previously said that he has tried to capture the nuances of Mughal-E-Azam and Pakeezah in his OTT debut series. In both the films, the leading ladies Madhubala and Meena Kumari played the role of courtesans.

“Heeramandi has nuances which you feel are found in the great Kamal Amrohi’s Pakeezah. Heeramandi is my tribute to the great Mughal-e-Azam, Pakeezah and Mehboob Khan sahab’s Mother India,” Bhansali said to PIT.
The ace filmmaker said iconic Indian directors like Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and V Shantaram inspired him to weave stories around women. “They understood that she is the creator of man, therefore she needs to be given a place in literature, cinema and art. They always told stories of women, they were not necessarily telling stories of men,” he said.