Juhi Chawla will be a part of the ensemble cast of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s dream project Heeramandi.
Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhanasli, who completed 25 years in the industry, is currently working on his dream project titled Heeramandi. The web series which will stream on Netflix is currently under production. In the past, several names of female actors, including Sonakshi Sinha, Nimrat Kaur and Manisha Koirala, have been linked to the project. It is now learnt that Juhi Chawla will also be seen as a part of the ensemble.
A source working on the project reveals, “Heeramandi will see a total of 18 female actors which includes Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Nimrat Kaur, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Diana Penty. Juhi Chawla will be joining the cast as she will be seen playing an important cameo in the eight-episode web series. The actress met Bhansali and immediately agreed to do the role. She will soon be starting her shoot.”
The source further reveals that the series will travel from the 19th century to the pre-Partition era and Bhansali has made a few changes to it. “The original Heeramandi was based in Lahore and was earlier referred as Shahi Mohalla. Before the courtesans started occupying the place and practice mujra, it housed several attendants and servants of the Mughal Empire. Bhanasli plans to show Heermandi as a sacred place for learning music and dance. The show will focus on the clash between two gharanas (houses) of geet sangeet. The story travels from Lahore to Mumbai.”
While it was earlier said that Bhansali will only be the show runner, it is now learnt that he will also be directing a couple of episodes. “The first and the last episode is being directed by the filmmaker while the rest will be done by Vibhu Puri and Mitakshara Kumar who have assisted Bhansali in the past,” the source informs.
