‘Heeramandi’ tribute to ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ and ‘Pakeezah’: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Saturday said his OTT debut series ldquoHeeramandirdquo which revolves around the life of courtesans is a tribute to Indian cinema classics ldquoMughalEAzamrdquo and ldquoPakeezahrdquoThe filmmaker said in the upcoming Netflix series he has tried to capture the nuances which were highlighted in ldquoMughalEAzamrdquo directed by K Asif and Kamal Amrohirsquos ldquoPakeezahrdquo In both the films the leading ladies Madhubala and Meena Kumari played the role of courtesansldquolsquoHeeramandirsquo has nuances which you feel are found in the great Kamal Amrohirsquos lsquoPakeezahrsquo lsquoHeeramandirsquo is my tribute to the great lsquoMughaleAzamrsquo lsquoPakeezahrsquo and Mehboob Khan sahabrsquos lsquoMother Indiarsquordquo Bhansali said here at an in conversation session with Netflix coCEO Ted SarandosThe ace filmmaker said iconic Indian directors Raj Kapoor Yash Chopra Mehboob Khan Bimal Roy Guru Dutt and V Shantaram have inspired him to weave stories around womenldquoThey told beautiful women stories They understood that she is the creator of man therefore she needs to be given a place in literature cinema and art They always told stories of women they were not necessarily telling stories of menldquoSo if there is a Bajirao there is also Mastani for me If there was no Padmavati who would hold the fort fight and go into fire I wouldnrsquot have made that filmrdquo he saidThe director further said his filmography is filled with strong women characters mdash from Annie in ldquoKhamoshi The Musicalrdquo to Nandini in ldquoHum Dil De Chuke Sanamrdquo and Michelle in ldquoBlackrdquoSet against the tumultuous backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle of the 1940s ldquoHeeramandirdquo explores the cultural reality of a dazzling district through the stories of courtesans and their patronsThe show features Manisha Koirala Sonakshi Sinha Aditi Rao Hydari Richa Chadha Sharmin Segal and Sanjeeda SheikhBhansali believes there is no such thing as ldquoperfect castrdquo for him and he follows his instinctsldquoThey are not perfect for the characters And because they are not perfect it was so exciting to find and discover how they are going to interpret the role So I like to discover a lsquoperfect castrsquo as I tell the story I have cast these women because I always wanted to work with them and they are wonderful talent They can do anythingrdquo he addedSarandos who along with Bhansali unveiled the first look of ldquoHeeramandirdquo praised the Indian filmmaker for his ability to find a balance between ldquostyle drama and substancerdquoldquoWhen I think of your careerhellip about lsquoSilencersquo lsquoKhamoshirsquo lsquoBlackrsquo lsquoGangubai Kathiawadirsquo and now lsquoHeeramandirsquo they are all widely different worlds that you are building Your ability to find that right balance between style drama and substance and how you move a story is uniqueldquoThe images that you put on screen and the way they move you emotionally sometimes it is a tiny dance step and sometimes it is in line of dialogue it is subtle and unbelievably impactful You seem to invest a lot in the little moments of emotion It is a beautiful art formrdquo the executive saidHe added that excitement around the show is ldquothrillingrdquo and they are looking forward to introduce the global audience to the world of ldquoHeeramandirdquoAt the event hosted by Mini Mathur Bhansali was asked about being called a taskmaster by one of his leading ladies Hydari and the director said it is more of an image created by the mediaAlso Read Heeramandi Manisha Koirala Sonakshi Sinha and others shine in first look of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis showldquoThere is no taskmasterhellip The media has built the image and these people go and spread it to the world that I am tough to work with and temperamental but no They call me a taskmaster because I will not let them go till we find that lsquomomentrsquordquo A filmmaker is always insecure said Bhansali adding that it is the uncertainty of the profession which drives him to do his best and work harderldquoI always think lsquoWill I get it rightrsquo Like I got lsquoGangubai Kathiawadirsquo right but will I get lsquoHeeramandirsquo rightrsquo So I worked harder I want to keep giving my best to the audience who I love immensely till the day they tell me to shut uprdquo he addedThe show will soon premiere on NetflixThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever