Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, the Netflix series, is making all the right noises. The show, which marks director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's debut in the OTT realm, features a star-studded cast, including Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Sharmin Segal, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, and Aditi Rao Hydari. Heeramandi showcases these leading ladies as courtesans in pre-independent India. From larger-than-life sets to heavy jewellery, every detail screams royalty. Now, a Moneycontrol report has disclosed the pay of the cast and director, along with the budget allocated for the series. As per the report, approximately ₹200 crore has been spent on Heeramandi, due to its large-scale production.
Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali reportedly charged around ₹60-70 crore for the series, the report mentioned.
Moving on to the cast, Sonakshi Sinha, who played the role of Fareedan, charged ₹2 crore. Manisha Koirala, as Mallikajaan, and Richa Chadha, as Lajjo, were paid ₹1 crore each, the report added.
For the role of Bibbojaan, Aditi Rao Hydari charged somewhere between ₹1 to ₹1.5 crore.
As per the report, Sanjeeda Shaikh received ₹40 lakh. She plays Mallikajaan's sister Waheeda in the series.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's niece Sharmin Segal (Alamzeb) was given a paycheque of over ₹30 lakh, the report said.
Heeramandi also marked Fardeen Khan's comeback to the entertainment world. Fardeen, who has been receiving love and appreciation for his character Wali Mohammad, was paid ₹75 lakh, the report added.
Meanwhile, at Heeramandi's special premiere in Los Angeles, Sanjay Leela Bhansali talked about how the project was initially planned as a film featuring Rekha, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji. In a chat with Lilly Singh at the premiere, the filmmaker opened up about evolving casting choices. He also mentioned considering Pakistani actors Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan, and Imran Abbas for the show.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, "This was 18 years ago so at one point it was Rekha ji, Kareena and Rani Mukerji. Then it changed into another cast, then it changed into another cast.”
"It was a film back then. I then also thought about Mahira Khan, the Pakistani actress, and Imran Abbas and Fawad Khan were also in my mind at one point in time. But I ended up with this ensemble cast," Sanjay Leela Bhansali added.
Adhyayan Suman, Jason Shah, Taha Shah Badussha, and Shekhar Suman are also part of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.