The much-anticipated web series ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is scheduled to debut on Netflix on May 1. The premiere date for the series, marking Bhansali’s inaugural foray into digital content, was announced at a drone light show held at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in South Mumbai.
The magnificent event was graced by the presence of the show’s star-studded cast, which included Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal, and Sanjeeda Sheikh, along with Prerna Singh, CEO of Bhansali Productions, and Tanya Bami, Director of Series at Netflix India.
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During the event announcement, Bhansali expressed, “I am grateful to the entire team for their relentless passion and dedication to bring the world of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar to Netflix. With the release scheduled for May 1, we can’t wait for audiences worldwide to watch it and shower us with their love and appreciation.”
At the 24th edition of FICCI Frames in Mumbai, Sonakshi lavished praise on Bhansali for his depiction of female characters in film.
“Sanjay sir and I have been trying to collaborate for many years and I’m glad it happened with Heeramandi. The way he portrays his women on screen, nobody is able to do that. He has got a very different vision for it in spite of it being all magnum opus… He takes good care of how his female characters are portrayed on screen, and that’s something I appreciate about him” said Sonakshi.
The upcoming series is set against a backdrop of intense power struggles in Heeramandi, Lahore—presently in Pakistan—and across the undivided, pre-independence India, amidst the burgeoning anti-colonial freedom movements.