Kartik Aaryan in talks with Bhansali for a different project and not for Baiju Bawra or Heera Mandi

Rumours were doing the rounds lately that Kartik Aaryan was in talks with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for a possible collaboration. Some media outlets reported that Bhansali was considering the actor for a role in one of his forthcoming offerings – Baiju Bawra and Heera Mandi. While Baiju Bawra is a film announced last year, Heera Mandi is a high-profile streaming show set at Netflix.

The latest we hear those reports of Aaryan doing any of the two projects are completely false. Sharing more details, a source in the know informs a digital publication, “In the last couple of months, Kartik has been spotted outside Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s office many times, and while they are discussing a possible collaboration, it is not for Baiju Bawra or Heera Mandi.”

According to reports, Heera Mandi is set in the late 1800s to mid-1950s. It is going to be mounted on a lavish scale and will have 8 episodes in total. While Bhansali will direct the first two episodes, the rest will be directed by Vibhu Puri.

Reportedly, Heera Mandi will boast of an impressive cast. Madhuri Dixit, Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Huma Qureshi, Nimrat Kaur and Sayani Gupta are rumoured to have already signed the project on the dotted line. More actors are expected to join the cast soon.

Meanwhile, SLB is busy with the post-production of his hugely anticipated film Gangubai Kathiawadi. The period drama stars Alia Bhatt in the lead role, while Ajay Devgn appears in a special cameo. The team is expected to announce the new release date of the film soon.

Kartik Aaryan, on the other hand, awaits the digital premiere of Ram Madhvani’s Dhamaka. He will soon resume filming for Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. The actor also has Rohit Dhawan’s Shehzada in his hand. Produced by Ekta Kapoor, the film is the official remake of the Telugu-language blockbuster Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020).