Eminent Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is still riding high after the theatrical and streaming success of his latest directorial ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ starring Alia Bhatt in the titular role. All eyes are now on the forthcoming projects of the BAFTA-nominated director which includes the Netflix period series ‘Heeramandi’ and the musical drama film ‘Baiju Bawra’.
Recently, SLB’s Netflix series ‘Heeramandi’ commenced its filming schedule in Mumbai. Reportedly mounted on a massive scale and armed with a budget of Rs.200 crores, the eight-part Netflix show will be helmed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali alongside his frequent collaborator Mitakshara Kumar (The Empire).
So, if SLB is busy shooting for ‘Heeramandi’, when will his other eagerly anticipated project ‘Baiju Bawra’ kick off? As per the latest buzz, first draft of ‘Baiju Bawra’ has just been concluded by the film’s writer Prakash Kapadia, however it will take more time to finalize the movie’s script. Currently, it seems that ‘Baiju Bawra’ would be able to begin production sometime in the year 2023. So, the production delay for ‘Baiju Bawra’ is not just because of the ongoing filming of Netflix’s ‘Heeramandi’.
Having said that, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is investing all his creative energies for the Netflix series ‘Heeramandi’, he can focus on ‘Baiju Bawra’ once he is done with the work on ‘Heeramandi’. As per some reports, ‘Heeramandi’ will ostensibly feature popular Indian actors such as Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Huma Qureshi, and Nimrat Kaur, amongst others. The male cast is yet to be finalized.
Netflix’s ‘Heeramandi’ would revolve around stories of love and betrayal in the lives of three generations of courtesans in the red light area in Lahore during pre-independent India.
On the other hand, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s version of ‘Baiju Bawra’ will reportedly feature the talented duo of Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles. It is also being speculated that Ajay Devgn will also reunite with SLB for the film as the famous singer Tansen. The basic premise follows the story of Baiju, a musician’s son. After learning that one of the Navratnas in Akbar’s court, Tansen, is responsible for his father’s death, he decides to exact revenge by throwing a musical dual challenge at the greatest classical vocalist Tansen.