Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi proposal: It almost felt like a dare

When Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grand period drama, Heeramandi, was greenlit by Netflix, it marked a significant milestone in the evolution of Indian streaming content. Known for his lavish, larger-than-life filmmaking style, Bhansali’s transition to a web series format was as ambitious as it was unexpected. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos recently revealed that when Bhansali pitched the project, it felt less like a proposal and more like a challenge.

Speaking on Nikhil Kamath’s WTF podcast, Sarandos shared his first impressions of the pitch. “Heeramandi was probably one of the most creatively interesting projects I’ve worked on in India,” he said. “I was involved in the greenlighting meetings for it. He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) came to LA to do the pitch. He came in with this very big vision. Honestly, it almost felt like a dare—like he was saying, ‘I dare you to make this; it’s so big.’”

The Netflix chief admitted that the sheer scale and ambition of the project made him wonder whether Bhansali expected rejection. “He’s a legend of cinema, so the idea of him making a TV show was unheard of. I thought he came for us to say no,” Sarandos said. “And then, when we said yes, there were lots of delays. It was a complicated production.”

Announced in 2021, Heeramandi took nearly three years to bring to life. The production was known for its elaborate, handcrafted sets and painstaking attention to period detail. Sarandos described the experience of working on the show as nostalgic and cinematic. “He built these enormous, practical sets that we shot on. There was something beautifully old-fashioned about every element of the production. And he was so proud of it. I was so proud of him,” he added. “To me, Heeramandi is a true reflection of India’s deep, enduring love for cinema.”