Sanjay Leela Bhansali: I had the concept of Heeramandi 18 years ago, but there were no OTT platforms then

Sanjay Leela Bhansali recently said that he had the concept of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar 18 years ago, but the story was too long for a film and there were no OTT platforms back then. He was speaking at the post-screening discussion of the film at The Egyptian theatre in Los Angeles.

During the interaction, Bhansali said, “The script for Heeramandi was charming, vast, and epic. The story was too long for a film, and I had the concept 18 years ago, but there were no OTT platforms then. I finally saw an opportunity to do it properly on an OTT platform, where you can develop it and enjoy each character. This story has taken the longest—18 years of nurturing, cherishing, and living it.”

Speaking about working with Netflix, he added, “In 30 years of my career, I have never met producers as beautiful as them. They are tough, and relentless, and ask for honest directors to create content with the same passion. It's good karma as a filmmaker to meet such producers, and I'm grateful to them."

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar marks Bhansali's OTT debut and stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Sehgal and Sanjeeda Sheikh while also marking the comeback of Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman and his son Adhyayan Suman. It will premiere on Netflix on May 1.