Show: ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’

Cast: Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman 

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali 

Producer: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Where To Watch: Netflix 

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars  

Review: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s tribute to the elegant courtesans, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazar is an opulent saga of love, revenge, betrayal and a lust for power.

But, interestingly enough it is the women who are the driving force in this grandiose narrative which takes us to pre-Independent India and the abode of tawaifs of Heeramandi in Lahore. 

Mallikajaan ( Manisha Koirala) or Huzoor as she is called, is the crafty head of Shahi Mahal, the elite brothel in Heeramandi. Unapologetically shrewd, we are given an insight into her dark past, when her newborn was forcibly sold by the intimidating Rehana( Sonakshi Sinha) the Madam of Shahi Mahal. Mallikajaan has usurped  Rehana’s position and now rules over Shahi Mahal with an iron fist. One of her chief patrons is Nawab Zulfikar( Shekhar Suman) who is her lover, partner in crime and Manisha Koirala as the intoxicated and temperamental Mallikajaan reminds one of the female version of Ranveer Singh’s Khilji from Padmvaat.

The other residents of Shahi Mahal include Waheeda( Sanjeeda Sheikh), Mallika’s mercurial younger sister, who is complex and hyper-emotional.

Bibbojaan( Aditi Hydari Rao) a delicate and popular courtesan is patronised by the influential Nawab Wali( Fardeen Khan). However don’t be fooled by her frailty, Bibbo uses her proximity to the Nawabs to leverage information for the revolutionaries, as the Independence movement gains momentum. Lajjo( Richa Chadha) the inebriated and love-lorn courtesan who is pining for her lover the selfish Nawab Zorawar( Adhyayan Suman)

There is Alam ( Sharmin Segal) Mallika’s rebellious daughter who spends time writing poetry and does not want to be part of Shahi Mahal’s legacy.  Alam falls head over heels in love with Tajdar( Taaha Shah Badussha)the Oxford-returned heir of an influential family, who chastises the Nawabs for being puppets in the hands of the British.

As the art of seduction and Machiavellian tactics for power unfold amongst the walls of Shahi Mahal, the arrival of Fareedan( Sonakshi Sinha) casts a shadow of doom.

Fareedan is back to exact her pound of flesh and place as the rightful heir of Heeramandi. She is the only one who can challenge Mallikajaan and is willing to use every trick to overthrow her.

Sanjay Leela Bhanslali’s Heeramandi comes bearing his signature stamp of grandeur and theatrics. The visually appealing sets apart, the elaborate costumes created by Rimple and Harpreet give a glance into the ostentatious world of courtesans, who were the purveyors of fashion and style.

“Hum Tawaif Nahi, Pushtaini Kalakar Hain, par log humein Tamasha Baaz kehte hain”, says Mallika. Accomplished artists, and flag bearers of arts, culture, literature and etiquette, the courtesans were also the unsung heroes of India’s freedom struggle.

As the show tries to pack in all these aspects, along with queer themes, it comes across as stretched and staged. The rivalry and the toxic synergy between Manisha Koirala’s Mallika and Sonakshi Sinha’s Fareedan is riveting. As both these women put their cunning and calculative foot forward to wrestle power, the actors are impressive and uninhibited. 

Aditi Rao Hydari impresses as Bibbo, the coquettish courtesan who is also a charged rebel with a cause.

Richa Chadha is impactful in the little screen time she is given. Sanjeeda Sheikh as Waheeda gets the beats of her character. However, Sharmin Segal as Alam is the weakest link in the narrative. The love track between Alam and Tajdar lacks passion and comes across as forced and contrived. 

The men in the show make little or no impact and are just incidental. Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazar sparkles all right, but gets unduly stretched and laborious. 

Watch the trailer here: