Heeramandi 2 NOT On The Cards? Sanjay Leela Bhansali Says Won't 'Ever Be Able To Make It Again'

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar has been making headlines since it was released on Netflix on May 1. The series marked Bhansali’s debut in the OTT world and quickly became all that people could talk about. This led to the question: when is Heeramandi season 2 coming out? However, if Bhansali’s latest featurette is any hint, there will not be a season 2.

In the latest featurette released on IMDB, Sanjay Leela Bhansali took the viewers on a tour of the set of the grand series, talking about its grandeur and what went on to make the series. However, he also said that it was a taxing process and added, “We’ve made it, I’ve enjoyed making it, and I’m thankful to God that we made it… It was a very difficult project. Nobody else will ever be able to make Heeramandi again, nor will I be able to make it again, because it happens once.”

Bhansali said that he has had the idea for the series in his mind for over 20 years. He added, “After every film, Heeramandi would come out. But I would say, it’s too vast, it’s too epic to be made into a two-hour film. Finally, the time came and we said, let’s make it into a series because that will do justice to the vastness of it.” The idea then was to make ‘three big-sized, four big-sized films’ in one series.

Talking about what drew him to the story and how the set needed to reflect that, the filmmaker said, “The plight of the courtesans, they were queens also, but they had personal angst. They have personal joys and celebrations, but there’s sadness and pathos. All of this has to be felt in the architecture. The set has to come alive when the actor walks in, it has to come alive. When the cameraman lights it, it has to come alive. I would want a certain kind of textile, and it comes alive when the cameraman lights it and the actor wears it. It’s very important to create a certain atmosphere. I would want a certain kind of music playing non-stop, constantly on the set.”

Heeramandi features Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Sharmin Segal as tawaifs in the pre-Independence era Lahore, fighting for survival and respect. Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Adhyayan Suman, Taha Shah Badusshah and Indresh Malik also play pivotal characters in the series.