Kareena Kapoor, Rekha, Fawad, Mahira Khan were about to get roles in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Heeramandi'

Sanjay Leela Bhansali revealed that he had desire to cast Rekha, Kareena Kapoor, and Rani Mukerji in Heeramandi, with Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan also considered for roles.

During the Los Angeles premiere of Heeramandi, the 61-year-old Indian filmmaker shared that Heeramandi was initially conceived as a film. However, due to the vast scope of the concept, he decided to adapt it into a series instead.

The Padmaavat director mentioned that the concept of Heeramandi had been with him for 18 years.

He said, “This was 18 years ago so at one point it was Rekha ji, Kareena and Rani Mukerji. Then it changed into another cast, then it changed into another cast.”

Moreover, Bhansali also disclosed that the show has been in production for nearly three years, during which he filmed for over 300 days.

Sharing that he once considered casting Pakistani actors Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan, and Imran Abbas in the show, the Gangubai Kathiawadi filmmaker said, "then everything took a different direction."

Imran himself addressed this matter of receiving offer for a role in Heeramandi during his appearance at a Pakistani show, saying, “I did not refuse that, but it was shelved at the time.”

The web series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah, Fardeen Khan, and Shekhar Suman.

It will be streaming from May 1, 2024 on Netflix.