Sanjay Leela Bhansali's dream project is about Lahore's Heera Mandi

The film will reportedly star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt and Madhuri Dixit-Nene

It seems like Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) has finally began working on his dream project. After 13 years, the star-studded Heera Mandi is all set to go on floors in the first quarter of this year, reported Bollywood Hungama. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, it has been reported that Bhansali has joined hands with streaming giant Netflix to make the period drama as a web-film.

The reports further state that Heera Mandi will be made on a big scale and have all the elements of a magnum opus, even though Bhansali himself will not be directing it. The film reportedly will be helmed by Vibhu Puri, who has not only directed Ayushmann Khurrana’s Hawaizaada but has also written dialogues for Bhansali's Guzaarish, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

"Sanjay is personally doing the casting. Though officially, his former assistant Vibhu Puri is going to direct Heera Mandi, SLB’s stamp will be evident in every frame," a source was quoted as saying.

Rumour has it that the film will star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and Madhuri Dixit-Nene in the lead roles. Earlier, it was speculated that Bhatt’s Gangubai Kathiawadi and Heera Mandi were the same projects. But while both the films are the stories of prostitutes, they are two different scripts. Heera Mandi deals with the hidden cultures of the red light area in the walled city of Lahore. On the other hand, Gangubai Kathiawadi is the story of the Madam of Kamathipura.