Heeramandi: Rekha to have special role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's web series?

Ever since Sanjay Leela Bhansali ’s web series Heeramandi was announced, it has been creating a lot of buzz for its cast. In a recent development, legendary icon Rekha is reported to be part of the Netflix series for a special role especially written for her.

The veteran actress is in talks with the filmmaker for a pivotal role in his upcoming web series based on the lives of courtesans in pre-independence India. As per reports, the announcement of her joining the ensemble cast will soon be made. Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, and Huma Qureshi have already been cast in key roles.

Also read: Heeramandi: Sanjay Leela Bhansali to pocket THIS whopping director's fee for Netflix's Rs 200 crore-budget series 

“Rekha has been keen to work with Bhansali for the longest time and he too is desirous of tapping into 'the Rekha mystique’. But somehow, the two have never been able to work together before. Bhansali wanted Rekha for a special role in Heeramandi from the beginning. But then, it seemed that this classic partnership was again jinxed,” a source told Bollywood Hungama .

It has been a long time since Rekha appeared on the silver screen. She was last seen in Inder Kumar’s 2014 film, Supernani. The comedy-drama featured the veteran actor in the role of an elderly homemaker. The film also starred Sharman Joshi , Anupam Kher, and Randhir Kapoor in key roles.

Coming back to Heeramandi, the upcoming series delves deep into love, betrayal, and politics revolving around the courtesans’ life in the pre-independence era. Earlier, legendary actor Mumtaz was also approached for playing a prominent role in the series. She was supposed to perform Mujra, hence, she declined the offer as she finds it hard to dance at her age.

Netflix has allotted a whopping Rs 200 crore budget for the series, and it is believed that filmmaker Sanjay Bhansali is pocketing Rs 60-65 crore as director’s fee. The reports also say that the sets of Sanjay’s recently released Gangubai Kathiawadi will be used for the series too.