Know Why Sanjay Leela Bhansali Scrapped Roles Offered To Shabana Azmi and Mumtaz

It was last year that Netflix announced Heeramandi, but those who religiously follow Bollywood would know that it has been in the making for a long time. Touted as Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s dream project, the series will take the storytelling notches higher. It will also have some of the best talents in the country. However, it is being reported that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has scrapped the roles he has previously offered to Mumtaz and Shabana Azmi.

According to Bollywood Hungama, the Gangubai Kathiawadi filmmaker scrapped the roles since he wanted only the two iconic actresses to play them. The source explained, “They were important but brief roles, and they were written with the two iconic actresses Shabana Azmi and Mumtaz in mind. When Shabanaji and Mumtazji couldn’t do Heeramandi, Sanjay Bhansali decided to scrap the two roles rather than offer the parts to anyone else.”

Sharing more details about Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Huma Qureshi, and Manisha Koirala starrer series, the source added, “The series is being shot on huge sets representing a sprawling kotha. The shooting is taking longer than expected. Sequences that were meant to be shot in one day are taking as much as three days. Netflix knows about the Bhansali magic. They are fully committed to the project,”