Sonakshi Sinha joins forces with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for period drama Heera Mandi?

By: Mohnish Singh

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is one of those filmmakers who is up there on the wish list of every actor working in Bollywood. Be it an established star or a complete newcomer, everyone wants to work under his direction. While some actors have already fulfilled their dreams of working with him, Sonakshi Sinha seems next in line for a massive collaboration with the celebrated filmmaker.

Yes, you read that right! Rumours are doing the rounds in the tinsel town of Bollywood that Sonakshi Sinha is likely to bag the lead role in Bhansali’s next Heera Mandi. The filmmaker is presently busy wrapping up his next Gangubai Kathiawadi with Alia Bhatt, but his next project has already started creating buzz in showbiz.

Set in the late 1800s to mid-1950s, Heera Mandi will be mounted on a massive scale, just like all the previous outings of Bhansali. However, it will not be a film for theatres as the filmmaker has reportedly joined hands with streaming media giant Netflix for its release.

The project was initially planned as a film, but now it will be developed as a web-series with the first season spanning 8 episodes. Sonakshi Sinha, who was last seen in Dabangg 3 (2019), is set to headline the period-drama.

“Sonakshi is in initial talks for Heera Mandi and has verbally agreed to be a part of the show. However, she is yet to sign on the dotted line. It is a very powerful role with some shades of grey,” a source close to the development informs an online publication.

The source goes on to add that besides Sinha, the high-profile show will also feature Huma Qureshi, Nimrat Kaur, Sayani Gupta, and Manisha Koirala on its ensemble cast. If all goes well, Heera Mandi will begin production in April.

“Sanjay Leela Bhansali will be directing the first two and the last episode, while Vibhu Puri will be directing the remaining ones. Vibhu has begun the pre-production in full swing while casting for a lot more characters is underway. Major portions of the film will be shot on the sets,” concludes the source.