Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Heeramandi" could be India's answer to "Narcos" and "Squid Game" as the ambitious period drama has the potential to travel beyond domestic borders, said actor Richa Chadha at its grand trailer launch here on Tuesday.

Bhansali, who wears many hats on the series as a creator, director, producer and music composer, was a no-show at the Netflix event but was often invoked and thanked during the starry affair.

This is Chadha's second collaboration with Bhansali and the actor, who plays a courtesan named Lajjo, was full of praise for the director's vision.

"This show truly has the potential to travel outside the borders of India because in a sense, if you go with Bollywood extravaganza, the first name that pops up is the creator of the show. This would be a great offering from India or the Indian subcontinent to the world.

"Few shows of Netflix that have travelled like 'Narcos' and 'Squid Game' from Mexico and South Korea, this is going to be one of those," she said, adding that to be in a frame created by Bhansali is a dream for any budding actor who travels to Mumbai.

Both "Narcos" and "Squid Game" are shows that are amongst Netflix's most watched series not only in their country of origin -- Colombia and South Korea -- but also around the world.

Also present at the event were actors Manisha Koirala and Sonakshi Sinha, who front the series with Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Shaikh and Sharmin Segal supporting them in the drama, set in Heeramandi, a red-light street in Lahore, now Pakistan, where courtesans wielded a lot of power and influence during India's freedom struggle.

Koirala, who starred in Bhansali's 1996 feature film debut "Khamoshi: The Musical" said working with the director, known for his opulent vision, was a "pleasure then, and an honour now". She plays the role of the all-powerful courtesan Mallikajaan.

"I waited 28 years for Sanjay to call me. It was a pleasure back then and it has been a pleasure and honour again to be working with the genius. Lot of love and passion has gone into creating it and we hope you like it," she said.

Sinha's character Fareedan is an arch-rival of Mallikajaan in the show and the actor is happy to have been given a meaty role to bite into after Prime Video's much-lauded cop drama "Dahaad".

Recalling how Bhansali has been fond of her since they worked as a producer-actor on "Rowdy Rathore", Sonakshi said they have been meaning to collaborate for a long time but nothing worked out before "Heeramandi".

"I am so happy that it happened with 'Heeramandi' because the role he got me, nothing can top it. I feel truly blessed that a director has seen me like nobody ever saw me before and presented me to the world like nobody has done before," she said.

The actor also spoke about how she has been constantly trying to prove to the world that she is a good actor with her choice of roles.

"It's my mission now that I work with directors who look at me and project me in a way no one has seen me before. I want to do powerful roles and play strong female characters... That has actually been my agenda for the last few years.... I am thankful to makers like Sanjay Sir and Reema Kagti ('Dahaad') who empower me in that way as an actor," she added.

Netflix India VP Content Monika Shergill said Bhansali has dreamt of making "Heeramandi" a reality for the past 14 years.

"Somewhere he always felt he had to have the right medium and right length of the story. It was not getting contained in a film format. It is such an immersive world, it's such a powerful story. He wanted to do it in the most perfect way. So I think it was literally a match made in heaven," Shergill said.

Prerna Singh, CEO of Bhansali Productions, said they found comfort in the streamer. She also praised Bhansali for his "radical casting" in the show that also features Fardeen Khan, father-son duo Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman as well as Taha Shah in key roles.

Hydari had collaborated with Bhansali on 2018's "Padmaavat" but found her latest project to be a dream come true and her role of Bibbojaan, a revolutionary courtesan, special.

"He decided what I should play... That’s Sanjay sir’s magic, he pushes you to your extreme. He makes you believe in what you don't know. He really makes you live the dream you dreamt at one point and didn’t know how you would get to it. He makes it happen for you," she said.

Khan, who plays Nawab Wali Mohammed in the show and returns to acting after 14 years, said he was "extremely grateful" for the opportunity. His last film outing was 2010's "Dulha Mil Gaya".

"It's daunting to work with him (Bhansali) but when you see it all together, it makes sense... I couldn't have hoped for a better opportunity as an actor to return to the screen," he said, adding that the wisdom and experience he has gained in his time away from the spotlight helped him flesh out his layered character.

Shaikh also thanked Bhansali for casting her in the series. Her Waheeda is a power-hungry courtesan.

"In the world of remakes, if you can be someone so honest and authentic like Sanjay sir and to be sitting here on the stage as his heroine, it's quite an achievement for me. It's unbelievable. His mere touch makes everything shine. I'm a lucky one." Shekhar Suman called "Heeramandi" a "unique and beautiful gift" and compared Bhansali to the likes of K Asif and Kamal Amrohi, the directors behind Hindi cinema classics such as "Mughal-E-Azam" and "Pakeezah", respectively. These are the films that Bhansali has often quoted as inspirations for "Heeramandi".

He plays the megalomaniac Nawab Zulifiqar in the series.

Adhyayan Suman, who features as Nawab Zorawar in the series, described his character as "arrogant and privileged".

Segal, who plays the romantic Alamzeb in the series and is Bhansali's niece, said she is quite unlike her character but acting is all about finding empathy.

"Working with Sanjay sir is the biggest gift. What he sees in you, even you will not see in yourself," said the actor, who has also worked with the director as an assistant director on films like "Bajirao Mastani".

Shah said he was initially cast to play a small role and shoot for about three days but Bhansali decided to give him a bigger role of Tajdar Baloch, a young Nawab conflicted between tradition and love.

"Heeramandi" will premiere on Netflix on May 1.

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