Sanjay Leela Bhansali is receiving acclaim for his latest offering, the new Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. In an interview with Indiewire, the director opened up about creating the show, set in pre-independence Punjab, which is in modern day Pakistan. He also said how he felt a lot of love coming from Pakistan, where audiences are really eager to see how Heeramandi has turned out. 

What Sanjay Leela Bhansali said

In the interview, when Bhansali was asked about the setting of the series, he said, "There was so much love that I received from Pakistan, people waiting for it anxiously, waiting for this to be told. It’s a piece that somehow brings us all together, when all India was one, it was undivided. These people belong to us as much as they belong to them. I think they belong to both of us and both countries are showing a lot of love for finally the show being made. I still feel we’re all one, I still feel that we’re all connected in so many ways. There’s a lot of love for people on both sides, leave aside a few people would want to create issues — but those are not relevant.”

'I don’t mind being criticised…'

The director further added how he is okay when his audience gives him critical feedback. "There are things in the characters that connect to people in my work. That is why they talk about it. A lot of people like it, a lot of people don’t like it. It’s a part of a give-and-take with an audience and filmmaker. I don’t mind being loved when they give me love, and I don’t mind quite being criticized when they don’t connect to my work,” he said.

More about Heeramandi

Set against the backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle of the 1940s, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar tells the story of courtesans and their patrons, and spins an epic saga of love, power, revenge, and freedom. It stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari and Fardeen Khan, among others. The show premiered on Netflix on May 1.

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