Was David Dhawan supposed to make ‘Heeramandi’? Renowned filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali recently disclosed a captivating anecdote about his latest project, ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’.
This ambitious series, which he had coveted for over two decades, almost slipped away from him due to the delays in its production.
Bhansali recounted that he first encountered the script for ‘Heeramandi’ back in 2002, introduced by actor-film producer Aditya Pancholi and writer Moin Baig.
Baig, the scriptwriter, had persistently urged Bhansali to commence the project, expressing frustration whenever the director embarked on other films like ‘Ram-Leela’, ‘Bajirao Mastani’, and ‘Padmaavat’.
Also read: How Cillian Murphy served inspiration for Manisha Koirala’s Mallikajaan in Heeramandi?
He recalled, “Whenever I announced a new film, Moin would call me. ‘You are not making Heeramandi? Now, you’ve started another film. Now, you’ve started Ram-Leela! Now you’ve started Bajirao Mastani! And now, you’ve started Padmaavat!’”
“Then he just threatened me that he’d take the script away and give it to David Dhawan,” disclosed the ‘Gangubai Kathiwadi’ director.
“The script would come out every 2-3 years. But I always said to myself that this is very big. It needs a lot of time – 3,4 or 5 hours. Luckily, when this format [of OTT] started opening up and becoming popular, my mind kept thinking maybe this is the right place to make Heeramandi,” he told the outlet, adding that decision to make the title into a series was taken after his 5-minute meeting with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos at the ‘Gangubai’ premiere.
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Was David Dhawan supposed to make ‘Heeramandi’?
Baig even playfully threatened to hand the script to David Dhawan, a noted director known for his comedy films, if Bhansali continued to delay.
Despite sporadic glimpses of the script over the years, Bhansali believed that ‘Heeramandi’ was a significant endeavor that warranted ample time for development, potentially spanning a runtime of 3 to 5 hours.
Also read: Heeramandi and I
It was only with the recent surge in popularity of OTT platforms that he finally found the right format and opportunity to realize the project as a series.
Bhansali decided to transform ‘Heeramandi’ into an eight-episode web series following a brief encounter with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos at the premiere of his film ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’.
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The series boasts an impressive ensemble cast featuring Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha, Sharmin Segal, Manisha Koirala, and Sanjeeda Sheikh, along with other distinguished actors such as Farida Jalal, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar and Adhyayan Suman, and Taha Shah.
While the series received a blend of reviews from both viewers and critics, ‘Heeramandi‘ signifies a significant achievement for Bhansali, finally bringing to fruition a project that has remained close to his heart for many years.
