Sanjay Leela Bhansali impressed all with his cinematic marvel Gangubai Kathiwadi. The ace filmmaker is still receiving praise for the Alia Bhatt starrer, and the film has recently launched a campaign for the 2023 Bafta Awards in all the categories. Meanwhile, Bhansali had already began work on his next, Heeramandi soon after the release of ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi.
For the unversed, Netflix announced the project with Bhansali, in August last year. The much ambitious project reportedly stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Fardeen Khan, and Richa Chadha. Richa was also reportedly learning Kathak for the film. Though, no official announcement on the cast has been made yet. But now as per a report in Pinkvilla, Jackie Shroff has joined the cast of Heeramandi. The actor is still remembered for his iconic collaboration with Bhansali in Devdas as Chunni Babu. The makers have reportedly shot a significant chunk of the film already and the rest of it will be done soon.
Previously, in an interview with the same portal, when Sonakshi was asked about Heeramandi, she refused to comment on it. She said people can speculate all they want but one cannot say anything or confirm anything till an official announcement from SLB’s team is made.
Earlier, it was reported that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has roped in Fardeen Khan for a role opposite Aditi Rao Hydari. Per a report by ETimes, Fardeen Khan’s mother-in-law, Mumtaz had confirmed the news. When the publication had reached out to her to confirm whether she will be a part of the period drama series, the veteran actress had revealed, “Nothing has happened on that front yet but Fardeen has shot for the show already.”
As for the film’s storyline, Heeramandi revolves around the lives of courtesans in the pre-independence period. The film has already gone on floors. It was last year that Netflix had announced Heeramandi, but those who religiously follow Bollywood would know that it has been in the making for a long time. Touted as Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s dream project, the series will take the storytelling notches higher. It will also have some of the best talents of the country.
