Netflix top boss thought Sanjay Leela Bhansali pitched Heeramandi to them to be rejected: 'It almost felt like a dare'

When Heeramandi, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus, was greenlit by Netflix, it was hailed as a landmark moment for Indian streaming. Bhansali has the legacy of being Indian cinema's most visually opulent showman. His films are larger-than-life and lavish. Hence, a series on the same scale was unthinkable. In a recent chat, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos revealed that he felt that the filmmaker almost wanted 'no' for an answer when he pitched the show.
Speaking on Nikhil Kamath's WTF podcast, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos talked about the scale of Heeramandi and said, 'Heeramandi was probably one of the most creatively interesting projects I've worked on in India. I was involved in the greenlighting meetings for it. He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) came to LA to do the pitch. He came in with this very big vision. Honestly, it almost felt like a dare—like he was saying, 'I dare you to make this; it's so big. He's a legend of cinema, so the idea of him making a TV Show was unheard of. I thought he came for us to say no. And then, when we said yes, there were lots of delays. It was a complicated production.'
Announced in 2021, Heeramandi took almost three years to make and produce before it was released on the platform in May 2024. 'He built these enormous, practical sets that we shot on. There was something beautifully old-fashioned about every element of the production. And he was so proud of it. I was so proud of him. To me, Heeramandi is a true reflection of India's deep, enduring love for cinema,' Sarandos added.
Heeramandi is a fictional tale set in the famous red light district of Lahore in pre-Partition undivided India. Bhansali had initially conceived the story as a film in 2007. It was later revived as a show in which Bhansali wanted to cast Pakistani actors Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan, and Imran Abbas. But those plans had to be shelved due to the virtual ban on Pakistani artists in India after 2016. Heermandi stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, and Taha Shah Badussha.

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