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Sanjay Leela Bhansali revives old project Heera Mandi

Speculations were rife of late that after his blockbuster film Padmaavat, which released earlier this year and went on to rack up over ₹ 300 crores at the box-office, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali was gearing up to reteam with superstar Salman Khan for a film called Inshallah.

However, if fresh reports are to be believed, the ace filmmaker is not joining forces with Dabangg (2008) Khan anytime soon. Instead, he has started reviving his old project, titled Heera Mandi. The project first hit the headlines around 2013, but since Bhansali was busy with Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela (2013) back then, it could not take shape.


But now it seems the director is ready to take the film to the next level. “The film is still in the final stages of the writing process. For now, it’s being called Hira Mandi,” a source revealed.

Though there is no official word on the plotline of the movie, we hear it is based on the life of gangster Gangubai Kothewali. Gangubai was a famous brothel madam who ran many brothels around Mumbai, where she would look after and protected young women in the sex trade.

An official announcement is awaited.

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Yash says Ravana in Ramayana must connect with Western viewers as film eyes global audience

Praised for visuals, but some criticised Western-style asura designs for not fully reflecting Hindu roots

Instagram/thenameisyash/YouTube

Yash says Ravana in Ramayana must connect with Western viewers as film eyes global audience

Highlights

  • Yash says he humanised Ravana to help global audiences relate to the character.
  • Asura designs in the first glimpse drew criticism for looking too Western-inspired.
  • Producer Namit Malhotra compares the film's tone to Lord of the Rings and Gladiator.
Yash, who plays the demon king Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, says his portrayal was shaped by one clear goal: making the character relatable beyond Indian audiences.
Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week, where the film was presented alongside major Hollywood releases, the actor said he worked to strip away the purely mythological reading of the role.

"I have tried to internalise the whole essence of Ravana and tried to make him as human as possible at times," Yash told Reuters.

"It is important for people to relate to him, and since we have global ambitions, we need to make it familiar to a Western audience as well."

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