Sanjay Leela Bhansali to make Heera Mandi as a Netflix Original?

By: Mohnish Singh

Celebrated filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who has a long list of successful films to his credit, is set to make his digital debut, according to reports. Buzz has it that he is gearing up to make Heera Mandi, a film which he had conceived some 13 years ago, as a web-series for streaming media giant Netflix.

A well-placed source informs an online publication that the high-profile project is going to mount the shooting floor soon. However, unlike filmmaker Karan Johar who launched Dharmatic Entertainment under Dharma Productions to create digital content for leading streaming media players like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, SLB will not have a separate division.

“The first web offering will be a series on the life and times of the female gangster Gangubai Kothewali. Heera Mandi is apparently in the final stage of the writing and will go on floors later this year”, divulges the source.

Earlier, Priyanka Chopra was in talks to play the female lead in the film, but now it is unclear whether she will still do the project or not. More details on the upcoming project are expected to arrive soon.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is presently busy wrapping up his next directorial Gangubai Kathiawadi, a period drama based on Gangubai Kothewali, one of the most dreaded pimps of Mumbai’s red-light district Kamathipura. Alia Bhatt plays the title role in the film.

Gangubai Kathiawadi, which marks the first collaboration between SLB and Alia Bhatt, was earlier scheduled to release in September, 2020. However, the makers could not complete the film as all shooting activities came to a grinding halt in March earlier this year due to the sudden outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. The team is now looking at releasing the film in 2021.

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