Highlights
Set in pre-independence India, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi is based on the lives of courtesans in the oldest red light district of Lahore’s Heera Mandi.
There is something about Bhansali’s movies. Everything starting from the sets and actors’ performances to costumes and the accompanying jewellery are class apart. The prominent filmmaker has already given scores of hits to talk about for ages.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is an Indian filmmaker, producer and music composer. He is the recipient of several accolades, both on the national and international levels. His best projects include ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, ‘Bajirao Mastani’, ‘Devdas’ and ‘Padmaavat’.
Bhansali’s latest contribution to the entertainment sector, ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’, premiered on Netflix on May 1. Set in pre-independence India, the 8-episode series is based on the lives of courtesans in the oldest red light district of Lahore’s Heera Mandi.
Meet the mighty and scheming ‘nautch-girls’ of Heeramandi
Think about this period: the rebellion against the British is slowly brewing in India. In Lahore, the British enjoy the patronage of the nawabs or the feudal lords. In turn, the nawabs are the patrons of the mighty and scheming courtesans (tawaifs or nautch-girls) of Heeramandi.
These courtesans used to lure guests through the art of music, poetry, dance and seduction. They enjoyed privileges not afforded to most women at the time, such as education and personal income. They led glamorous lifestyles, enjoyed power and paid taxes.
Heeramandi’s disclaimer states: “This series is a work of fiction. Several characters, places, names and events in this series are fictional and resemblance or similarity to any actual events, entities, places or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and unintentional.”
Read More: Celebrities Share Their Excitement After Attending Heeramandi-The Diamond Bazaar Premiere
Comeback for Manisha Koirala and Fardeen Khan
Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Sharmin Segal, Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman have played key roles in the project about love, passion, lust and betrayal.
Played by Koirala, Mallika Jaan is one of the queen courtesans. She is power crazy and can kill too if she feels her position is being threatened by someone. She is fearless and shrewd. But the return of her late nemesis’ daughter, Fareedan (played by Sinha), brings tensions.
‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar‘ is a comeback for both Manisha Koirala and Fardeen Khan. In the series, Bhansali has represented the different age groups of the courtesans in the most realistic ways, not trying to hide anyone’s facial features behind the makeup.
Heeramandi and India’s freedom movement: Connection?
The series highlights that the courtesans in their golden cages living a luxurious life full of lavish food, clothes, drinks, perfumes and domestic help had the realisation that there is certainly more to life than just Heeramandi and its tall walls.
These nautch-girls of Heeramandi (as the British used to call them) tried to break free from their cages. History forgot their contributions. The society had predominantly forgotten them, until Bhansali highlighted the role they played in India’s freedom movement through the series.
Heeramandi is an entanglement of plot lines – a murder investigation, a tussle of succession, a budding love story and a courtesan’s secret involvement in a rebellion against the British rule, noted The Conversation in a report published on May 1.
Heeramandi songs steal the limelight: Heard ‘Sakal Ban’ yet
Besides the grand sets and luxurious lifestyle of the key characters, Bhansali’s latest contribution is also luring attention for its songs. In fact, the filmmaker recreated three iconic songs for the series. Did you already know that?
The lyrics of ‘Sakal Ban’, the first song released from Heeramandi’s popular album, hold a 700-year-old history. Even in the series, one can notice the heavy use of yellow colour, symbolising the mustard flower in a spiritual context of the original song.
‘Sakal Ban’ was composed by Amir Khusrau, an Indo-Persian Sufi singer living during the kingship of the Delhi Sultanate. Legend has it that on the occasion of Basant Panchami, Khusro noticed some people, dressed in yellow and carrying mustard flowers, going to the temple.
Upon asking them, Khusrau realised that this is done to please the diety. Later, the singer himself brought a bouquet of flowers and arrived dancing and singing to please his guru, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, who was grieving the death of his nephew. Khusrau wanted to please his god.
But not all netizens are pleased
Heeramandi is not entirely flawless. The series has become one of the most popular online releases on the platform, quickly climbing the charts to rule over the top spots. Some have loved the glamour of then-Lahore, but others have raised concerns.
Taking to X on May 3, user Hamd Nawaz said: “Just watched Heeramandi. Found everything but heeramandi in it. I mean either you don’t set your story in 1940’s Lahore, or if you do – you don’t set it in Agra’s landscape, Delhi’s Urdu, Lakhnavi dresses and 1840’s vibe.”
“Bhansali’s search should have definitely gone beyond Bridal Couture walks. The courtesan never had the financial security to even remotely afford these jewels. What are these blouses? Saris? Ghagras? Lehengas? Some Punjabi dress maybe? Na, let’s go Sabya Sachi on them.”
“I am not even touching the nepo-baby going around with a frozen face, lip fillers and expressionless, rote Urdu. Plot, dialogue delivery, song selection is another rant-worthy domain. Indian cinema has given us masterpieces. Imagine having all this budget and no research.”
Momna Raja, another user on X, said: “Having just watched #Heeramandi, I noticed everything but the true essence of #Heeramandi. If the story is set in 1940s Lahore, it should have authentically reflected the city’s landscape, language, #urdu fashion and atmosphere …”
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