Heeramandi Review: Performances Shine Bright Like Diamonds In Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bazaar, But Leave You Wanting More!
We're not all lost in the grandeur!
4 / 5
Starring Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Sharmin Segal in lead roles, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar released on the OTT giant Netflix on May 1. And after binge-watching this show, I feel a void because there’s so much more that I wanted from the story and storytelling. Created by Sanjaly Leela Bhansali, this period drama series was written by the director. The story was conceptualised by Moin Baig and the dialogues were penned by Divya Nidhi and Vibhu Puri. Director by SLB and Mitakshara Kumar.
There’s something about Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s grandeur that keeps you hooked to the screen. Be it the big screen, television or OTT, the filmmaker has dominated every platform with his storytelling and grandeur with films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, television show Saraswatichandra and now with his OTT debut series Heeramandi. We’ve practically grown up watching Sanjay Leela Bhansali films like Devdas, Black and even Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor’s debut film Sawariyaa. Despite being a writer, I do not have enough words to express my love for the filmmaker’s work.
The Plot Of Heeramandi
This Sanjay Leela Bhansali series revolves around 6 women from Lahore’s Heeramandi. Set in the backdrop of the pre-independence era during the British Raj in the 1940s, the story follows Manisha Koirala’s Mallikajaan, Sonakshi Sinha’s Fareedan, Aditi Rao Hydari’s Bibbojaan, Richa Chadha’s Lajjo, Sanjeeda Sheikh’s Waheedan, Sharmin Segal’s Alamzeb. Mallikajaan is the madam of Shahi Mahal after the death of her sister Rehana. The series explores Mallikajaan’s life as a woman in Heeramandi and explores her relationships with her daughters Bibbo and Alam, her niece Fareedan as well as her romance with Shekhar Suman’s Zulfikar.
Also Read: Exclusive: Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari On Donning Heavy Jewellery, Outfits In Heeramandi: “Everything Was Real Gold And Embroidery!”
As Mallikajaan tries to get Alam to become a tawaif and announces her nath utarwai ceremony, Alamzeb protests and eventually falls in love with Taha Shah’s Tajdar Baloch who has a dislike for the red light area Heeramandi. On the other hand, Bibbojaan is a part of the revolutionaries and aids them by funding the independence movement with her earnings as a tawaif. She also obtains information from her Sahab, Fardeen Khan’s Wali Mohammed who is a nawab and works closely with the Britishers.
Further, Richa Chadha’s Lajjo is a heartbroken tawaif as her sahab whom she loves, Nawab Zoravar starts romancing another woman and is set to marry her. Sanjeeda’s Waheeda has her own agenda to gain ownership of the Khawbga mahal, which was previously owned by Rehana (Mallikajaan’s dead sister), no matter the cost. Rehana’s daughter and Mallikajaan’s niece Fareedan also return to Heeramandi to avenge her mother who was murdered by Mallikajaan. But Alamzeb and Tajdar’s rather tragic romance makes the tawaifs of Heeramandi realise that they too need to fight for India’s independence even though freedom for them might be a far-fetched thought.
Performances
Manisha Koirala as Mallikajaan: In an interview, Manisha Koirala revealed that she spent time in Mallikajaan’s room to soak in her character and that was visible in the first scene itself. After watching Manisha as Mallikajaan, it’s impossible to see her as anyone else. She eases into the looks absolutely perfect. Manisha has nailed every aspect of the grey and layared woman that the tawaif is.
Sonakshi Sinha as Fareedan/Rehana: Sonakshi Sinha looks menacing as Rehana and Fareedan. However, the actress brings a softness to her character which makes me wonder how is it possible feel so invested in the a character’s story who is out for vengeance, (and rightfully so, might I add). The actor has given her career best performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s tawaif saga.
Also Read: Did You Know Sanjay Leela Bhansali Wanted To Cast Pakistani Stars Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan In Heeramandi. Then What Happened?
Aditi Rao Hydari as Bibbojaan: Not only did Aditi Rao Hydari look stunning and elegant throughout the series but she let her deep eyes do the talking for Bibbojaan. I’m not surprised the nawabs fell for her, I too wanted to just dive into her eyes. The actress played her role with conviction as Bibbo aids the revolutionaries and fights for the country’s freedom even if freedom is a foreign concept to her as a tawaif from Heeramandi. NGL, but I don’t think there’s anyone who can embody grace like Aditi which makes her the perfect muse for SLB.
Richa Chadha as Lajjo: Richa Chadha had revealed that she took reference from Meena Kumari to portray Lajjo, a lovesick and heartbroken tawaif. And I must say, I saw glimpses and glimpses of Meena Kumari and hated Zoravar with passion for what he did to Lajjo. I cried when Lajjo cried and my heart broke with her. I wanted nothing more than to just go and hug Lajjo and shake some sense into her. The end of Lajjo’s track left a void in my heart.
Sajeeda Sheikh as Waheeda: Over the years, I’ve seen Sanjeeda’s work in television and her potential seemed wasted here. Sure, I laughed at her savage one-liners but Waheeda was tough to keep up with because of her weak character arc and also because the actor seemed to be slipping in and out of character in nearly every episode.
Sharmin Segal as Alamzeb: Where do I even begin? Sharmin is exactly what true potential looks like. The actor did justice to Alamzeb with her acting. Sharmin Segal brings innocence to her character along with the much-needed freshness. It was hard not to just hold onto every word she said but at the same time, the actor sure had moments when she slipped up. Despite her restrained acting in certain moments, the actor eventually redeems herself.
Taha Shah as Tajdar Baloch: For a man from the 1940s, Taha Shah’s Tajdar was way ahead of his time and that’s precisely what makes one fall head over heels for him. Taha Shah nailed the role of a man smitten by a woman (bois, take notes!) while portraying Tajdar’s struggle of having to pick between his love and his country. NGL, but I felt his emotional turmoil and it made me want to comfort him. I also had moments when I wanted to slap him and shake some sense into him but, that’s a sign of kickass acting. Isn’t it?
Fardia Jalal as Qudsia Begum: Witness Farida Jalal as Tajdar’s grandma took me right back to Shararat days but my, my, the actress was the perfect casting for the role. Farida’s Qudsia brought the much-needed maturity to the story but erm, I’m sold on Qudsia and Taj’s chemistry!
Also Read: Reddit Spots Mic On Aditi Rao Hydari In Heeramandi, Says “Disappointed That SLB Could Make Such A Mistake”
Fardeen Khan as Wali Mohammed: Fardeen’s character makes you want more but SLB decided it’s a story about women so, brace yourself because you’re not going to get enough of the actor.
Adhyayan Suman as Zoravar/Young Zulfikar: I felt the ultimate urge to deliver a tight slap on Zoravar’s cheek for his absolute dick behaviour. So, it’s safe to say that whatever limited screen time Adhyayan Suman had, he owned it with his screen presence. And this also means that we all deserve a spin-off of Lajjo and Zorawar’s story to know more. Who’s starting this petition?
Shekhar Suman as Nawab Zulfikar: Shekhar Suman’s nawab Zulfikar may or may not have orgasmed but his acting sure gave me one. The actor steals the show with just one scene that makes him a rather unforgettable character.
Supporting Cast
Jayanti Bhatia’s Phatto, Nivedita Bhargava’s Satto, Anju Mahendru’s Phuphi, Jason Shah’s Cartwright Gunther lend the much needed support to the story and the leading cast with their acting but it was Indresh Malik’s Ustaad and Shruti Sharma’s Saima who stole the show and owned the screen space with the impeccable acting.
View this post on Instagram
Verdict: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bazaar Of Limitless Potential Falls Short On Story
We’ve all heard stories of the ultimate perfectionist Sanjay Leela Bhansali. And I do agree that the filmmaker’s need for perfection shows in the performances delivered by the entire cast. However, it’s hard to ignore the rather scattered plot and screenplay which left me wanting more. To add to it, the luxury of time that comes with OTT got to Sanjay Leela Bhansali too. And the scattered plot is proof of it. The series had two parallel plots, one was Alamzeb and Tajdar’s love story and the other was the story of tawaifs participation in the freedom struggle. But the series also has several sub-plots that never really come together. Some sub-plots come together because the fight for India’s independence trumps all other issues, but others just don’t.
Also Read: Did You Know Heeramandi Still Continues To Exist In Lahore? Here’s All We Know About The Red Light Area Shown In Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s OTT Debut Series
No one needed to know that Alamzeb was Nawab Zulfikar’s daughter. Sure, Fareedan dropping her plan to avenge her mother’s death for the greater good of India’s freedom makes sense. Further, the dialogues of the series are not particularly memorable but at the same time, the dialogues are not, not impactable. If anything, some of the dialogues will give you food for thought.
View this post on Instagram
This goes without saying that no one needed the shoddy and scattered writing. Who wanted to know about Saima and Iqbal’s romance, another sub-plot that the maker left midway? The lead women of Heeramandi i.e., Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Sharmin Segal, all had beautiful character arcs or rather layers that were slowly peeled away by Sanjal Leela Bhansali over the course of 8 episodes. Paired with the spectacular performances, it made for a series worth watching. How can we forget the classic Sanjay Leela Bhansali grandeur that the filmmaker created with the grand, artistic set? It’s safe to say that SLB transported us right to 1940s Lahore with the too real-to-be true set along with the dialect, language and even the fashion and jewellery.
Guess what? Sanjay Leela Bhansali refused to settle for less (something that women don’t do enough) and got real heavy, vintage embroidered shararas, sarees, ghararas and anarkalis from designer duo Rimple And Harpreet to recreate authentic pre-independence Heeramandi looks for the cast. And not just that, the jewellery worn by the cast, from gold to kundan, everything was real (and heavy AF). Apart from the visual grandeur, the series also has a perfect background score, even though the songs are not earworms.
View this post on Instagram
So, what really keeps you going in this show? The SLB grandeur, performances and romance keeps the viewers hooked to their seats. But what I love the most about the series, is the fact that it explores what freedom means for women of Heeramandi while also reminding people that they might be tawaifs but they had a part to play in India’s independence even if it’s not talk about enough.
FYI, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi is currently streaming on Netflix. Wait, stop ready and ja ke show dekh lo!
First Published: May 03, 2024 4:12 AM
