Heeramandi is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Debut OTT project. Heeramandi means Diamond Bazaar, casts real beauty diamonds of Bollywood like Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hyderi, Richa Chadhha, Sanjita Shaikh, Taha Shah and Sharmin Mehta.
The series was released on Netflix on 8th May 2024. As per reports, Sonakshie Sinha is the highest paid actress for about Rs 2.00 Crores for this series.
Heeramandi tells the story of the entertainers who live in Heera Mandi, a famous market in Lahore. These performers live in Shahi Mahal. When the British come and make deals with the local rulers, Heeramandi’s business suffers. At the same time, during the fight for Indian independence, these entertainers struggle to survive amidst all the changes happening around them.”
In Bhansali’s portrayal of the fancy red-light district, you’ll meet different kinds of tawaifs: some are tricky, some are kind, some are sad, and others have their own unique traits. But what they all share is the sadness of being stuck in their lives, where they’re desired by high-class people but mocked by them too. Even the most powerful among them, like Mallikajaan, who runs the fancy brothel Shahi Mahal, feels empty and believes only death can bring freedom
Despite the abundance of characters, the script is strong and leaves a lasting impact, setting the stage for potential follow-up seasons. Unlike typical mainstream movies, there are no purely good or bad characters; even the villains are portrayed with shades of gray, displaying a range of human emotions. The darkest characters are thoroughly explored, revealing glimpses of the emotions they’ve long buried.
One particular scene stands out, where Sinha’s Fareedan delicately places a beautiful nose pin on the usually talkative Ustaad Ji (Indresh Malik), the homosexual pimp of Heeramandi. The silence that follows is deafening, and a flood of emotions washes over his face. This scene is potent, gripping, and communicates a lot without needing words.
Bhansali has been holding onto this idea for over ten years, but the outcome isn’t quite what was hoped for. While there are some incredibly impactful scenes and touching dialogues throughout, the show struggles to keep up that momentum. It’s weighed down by slow and unnecessarily drawn-out parts in between the more compelling moments. Trimming down some of these unnecessary sequences could have made the show much stronger overall.
All eight episodes of Heeramandi are now available to stream on Netflix.