Soon after the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum Opus Heeramandi, a section of social media started pointing out a number of similarities between the Netflix series and Srijit Mukherji's 2015 Bengali film, Rajkahini, which dealt with a similar storyline. In an exclusive chat with News18, Rituparna Sengupta, who headlined Rajkahini, reacted to these comparisons calling the two storylines quite similar. She said, “I saw a lot of people drawing comparisons between Heeramandi and Rajkahini and these similarities are quite obvious. The stories are almost similar. The backdrop of the revolution and the freedom struggle is the same in both. Those who've found similarities have watched Rajkahini and remember what we did in the film.”
“With Rajkahini, regional cinema emerged at a bigger level. That emergence was significant enough to challenge other films as well. When Gangubai Kathiawadi was made, I could see a few shots similar to Rajkahini. I could see some of my postures in Alia (Bhatt). Rajkahini definitely inspired many other films when it comes to the subject of brothel life. It can be treated as a research material. It definitely set an example for a series like Heeramandi,” she added.
Talking about her aspirations to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali someday, the actress said, "I missed myself in Heeramandi. I was wondering how wonderful it would be if Bhansali had cast me for one of the roles. I wish I catch his attention enough to be his subject someday. I can only hope that he sees my work and calls me to be a part of his films.”
Talking about her review of the show, the actress said, "I've watched most episodes of Heeramandi. Bhansali's work is spectacular. It dazzles your eyes. The costumes, the dialogues, the production value are so grand and are at a different level, altogether. He's one of the most regarded directors. I'm really dying to work with him.”