Sanjay Leela Bhansali opens up on making Gangubai Kathiawadi despite “ticking all the wrong boxes”; says, “It worked. That’s the belief” : Bollywood News

Renowned Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali broke the internet today, that is February 18, as he unveiled the star cast of his debut web series Heeramandi. Not only this, but SLB briefly spoke about the web show with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, during a question and answer session. Amid his candid interaction with Ted, Sanjay also opened up about his last release Gangubai Kathiawadi, headlined by Alia Bhatt.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali opens up on making Gangubai Kathiawadi despite “ticking all the wrong boxes”; says, “It worked. That’s the belief”

The filmmaker went on to reveal that he had been advised by everyone not to make it as it would not appeal to audiences. Speaking of the same, he asserted, “People told me not to make Gangubai (Kathiawadi). It's a female-centric film, with a female protagonist. In India, they do not have a female-[led] subject. The box office has never worked. She's playing a sex worker and then there's no hero. All the tick marks you would put to understand the audience and the scenario, I have ticked all the wrong boxes. But it worked. That's the belief.”

For the unversed, the Alia Bhatt starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi, which was released in February last year, is loosely based on the true story of Ganga Jagjivandas Kathiawadi. It was the fifth-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2022. Besides Alia, it also features Ajay Devgn, Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz and Jim Sarab in prominent roles.

Coming back to Heeramandi, the web series will be led by Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Shaikh and Sharmin Segal. During his interaction with Netflix CEO, SLB said, “Heeramandi has a special place in my heart as it has stayed with me for 14 years. The most compelling aspect of storytelling for me is the opportunity to represent real characters, especially women, and portray their emotions with interesting nuances.” The makers haven’t announced its release date.

Also Read: Sanjay Leela Bhansali says Heeramandi stayed with him for 14 years: ‘My effort is to bring these historic characters to life with a modern approach’