After making several spectacles for the silver screen including ‘Devdas’, ‘Padmaavat’ and ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is set to take OTT a notch higher with his upcoming epic series 'Heeramandi', which boasts of signature SLB aesthetics. The teaser of the highly anticipated series, which will stream on Netflix, was unveiled on Saturday in Mumbai.
The teaser introduces the viewers to the world of 'Heeramandi' and the central characters of courtesans played by actresses Aditi Rao Hydari, Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal, and Sanjeeda Sheikh with an Indian classical score playing in the background.
In a conversation with Outlook, Bhansali Productions’ CEO Prerna Singh, talked about SLB’s vision and how Netflix came on board. She told us, “Heeramandi is a Bhansali original. Netflix came on board as an equally valuable partner to bring Sanjay Leela Bhansali's vision to the screen. The idea had been with us for almost a decade, and just like every other Bhansali story, this one, too, has a journey. It is one of our most exciting offerings for 2023.”
She added, “It’s a mega series essaying the story of pre-independence courtesans living in Lahore; it’s the story of their music, art, poetry, and politics within the brothels. It's one of our most ambitious projects with Netflix. It will stream on Netflix in 2023. The rest of the plans will be officially unveiled when the time is right.”
Interestingly, apart from ‘Heeramandi’, SLB also worked on his original album 'Sukoon' and unveiled it recently. It took him almost two years to curate it. Comprising nine songs, it has talented singers like Rashid Khan, Shreya Ghoshal, Arman Malik, Sahil Hada, Papon, Pratibha Baghel and Madhubanti Bagchi coming together and curating this special album.
What was the idea behind launching ‘Sukoon,’ a non-film album by SLB. And Prerna informed us, “The idea comes from the top, again, with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He believes in great music. He's the only director who composes music and then goes on to the story. "SUKOON," a collection of nine pieces of art designed in collaboration with the industry's top singers, is an ode to the late Lata Mangeshkar. When the world was stuck at the time of COVID, music was one thing he was working on.”
She signed off by saying, “We loved it when he made us hear these songs. In today's scenario, it is good content for the audience. It is not about a film or non-film album. The idea was great. He wanted to bring back such an important, timely text and bring together all the talented singers and musicians he has worked with, from Shreya to Armaan to Papon to Rashid Sahab. It's a lovely album with a different mix. Since its release, the album has struck a chord with cinephiles and music lovers.”
