Web series 'Heeramandi' about courtesans, love, politics

As Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming magnum opus 'Heeramandi', his first-ever web series, is soon to be released, the ace director shares his inspiration for making the show.

Talking about its inception, Sanjay said, "I remember when I was a four-year-old kid and my father had taken me to a shoot and he said you sit here and I'll meet my friends and come. I was in the studio and it seemed the most comfortable to me. More than a school, a playground, a cousin's house, or anywhere in the world, I thought it was the most beautiful place.

When I look back at 25 years, I think it's very precious to me because you have to be blessed to be able to get a chance to make a film and that's why I cling on to the studio because the studio floor is the most magical, that's my temple, that's my everything."

He further added, "'Heeramandi' was something that my friend Moin Baig got to me as a 14-page story, 14 years ago and then finally when we presented it to Netflix, they loved it and they thought it had great potential to make a mega-series. It is very ambitious, it's very big and vast. It tells you the story of courtesans.

They kept music, poetry and dance and the art of living. It shows the politics within the brothels and how to emerge as the winner. It is a difficult one but I hope we come across with flying colours this time."

The series will explore stories of courtesans and the hidden cultural reality of 'Heeramandi', a dazzling district, during pre-independent India. It's a series about love, betrayal, succession and politics in the 'kothas'.