Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
It’s believed that each grain of rice used in the preparation for Biriyani would be drenched in silver oil in the royal Mughal kitchens as the oil was said to aide digestion and possess aphrodisiac properties. Food history pertaining royal cuisine is filled with such curious trivia, because all it takes is one wrong ingredient to rob a dish off its true essence. It’s certainly true in the case of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s lavish historical series “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar”, which follows the vibrant lives of Lahore’s courtesans, before India and Pakistan became two independent countries. But we’ll come to its weaker components later.
Before British rulers reduced them to prostitutes, courtesans, known as tawaifs, were held in high regard as professional entertainers who exclusively performed for nobility. They excelled in music, dance, theatre, and poetry, with young boys from noble families often sent to them to learn social etiquette and artistic forms. Spanning eight episodes, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Heeramandi” delves into the gradual erosion of their traditional roles – from respected royal performers to stigmatized sex workers. Although, the major focus of the plot is on the internal politics and power struggle between courtesans for wealthy patrons. The latter half shifts gears to depict how the women of Heeramandi took part in the freedom movement and supported revolutionaries against colonial rule. All of it is through Bhansali’s fictional filmy lens, of course.
Titled “Mallikajaan – The Queen of Heeramandi” episode one unveils the curtain on primary protagonist Mallikajan, an influential courtesan, powerfully portrayed by Manisha Koirala. She is the queen-bee of Heeramandi, her dancers host to the most influential nawabs and nobles in Lahore and beyond. However, rebellion brews in her mansion Shahi Mahal – while her younger sister Waheeda (Sanjeeda Sheikh) schemes for more power and a piece of property under litigation, Mallikajan’s younger daughter Alam (Sharmin Segal) refuses to make her debut as a courtesan and the older daughter Bibbojaan (Aditi Rao Hydari) is a renegade freedom fighter. But bigger troubles arrive for Mallikajan in episode two, titled “Fareedanjaan – The Challenger Returns”, which introduces Fareedan (Sonakshi Sinha), the rightful heir of Shahi Mahal. However, she was sold off by Mallikajan when she was only nine years old, following her mother’s death.
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Like most titles directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, “Heeramandi” features opulent set pieces, from the glittering dancing mansions of run by the courtesans to the sprawling havelis of the nawabs, and the grand hotels where wealthier characters gather for lavish parties. Viewers might find themselves appreciating the gilded walls of a set piece, or the gorgeous dresses draped by the women of Heeramandi, a lot more than the plot details. The costume designers for the series have knocked it out of the park for this series, delivering dazzling sarees, ghagras, and robes made of rich fabrics like silk and brocade, all complimented with elaborate jewellery that defines oriental luxury. If one needed visual evidence for the phrase “dressed to kill,” a glance at any of the dancers from “Heeramandi” would suffice.
The first four episodes of the series are dominated by a lot of scheming, screaming, and backstabbing among the ranks of the courtesans for more clout. “Heeramandi” begins to feel like a grandly decked ground for fights amongst its female protagonists – everybody has their claws out against someone or the other. It’s only in the latter half that the plot puts more spotlight on the freedom movement and how the women of Heeramandi played their part in the struggle for independence.
Led by an eclectic talented cast, the ladies of “Heeramandi” deliver electrifying performances. Manisha Koirala, who was last in “Shehzada”, is like a Phoenix in this series, she rises from the ashes, and fiercely glows as Mallikajaan, a ruthless madame of Shahi Mahal, who’d go to any lengths to keep her rivals from upstaging her. Sonakshi Sinha’s portrayal of Fareedan packs almost the same power, except that her character is younger and comes across as slightly less unscrupulous as she has no children or siblings to wreak her wrath on. Sanjeeda Sheikh is unhinged and entertaining as Mallika’s egocentric sister Waheeda, who is constantly short-changed in the series. Aditi Rao Hydari is a sight for sore eyes in “Heeramandi” as Bibbo, a beautiful courtesan, and a talented singer, who like the rest of the women in Shahi Mahal, is often made a pawn in the games of her scheming mother Mallikajaan. Aditi Rao Hydari’s Bibbo embodies a delicate duality, on one hand, she is as enchanting as a soft rose petal, captivating her patrons as a courtesan; on the other hand, she emerges as an underground firebrand revolutionary, utilizing her proximity to Nawabs to clandestinely gather intel against the British regime.
And now to that one wrong ingredient I mentioned in the opening of this review – Sharmin Segal as Mallika’s precious daughter Alam is the only member of the cast who just doesn’t fit into the elaborate Heermandi puzzle. Within the first episode, the cracks in her acting become apparent as she has the same expression plastered on her face throughout the bulk of the show, despite being a significant character who undergoes a myriad of experiences. Sifra, the robot played by Kriti Sanon had a wider range of expressions in “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya”. It’s a pity because apart from Bibbo, Alam is the only woman in Heeramandi who is devoid of grey/ugly shades and is the kind of character viewers would want to root for. She is shown to be an intelligent, sensitive young woman who aspires to be a poet, and falls in love with a charming Nawab called Tajdar (Taha Shah Badussha), who is also a revolutionary. While Taha Shah Badussha portrays a charming young nawab who falls for Alam with finesse, their pivotal romantic subplot loses its impact due to Sharmin’s mediocre acting. And as if her acting wasn’t bland enough, her character’s story also takes a dumb turn from episode five onward.
A lot of characters who have briefer cameos deserved more screen space in “Heeramandi.” Richa Chaddha, for instance, only has a small role in the series, but she is fantastic as Lajjo, a courtesan hopelessly in love with a nawab who scorns her, leading her to drown her sorrows in drinking, heartache, and madness. Pratibha Ranta, who played Pushpa Raani in “Laapata Ladies”, has an almost blink-and-miss role as Waheeda’s daughter, but she shines in the few seconds she gets to grace the screen.
Needless to say, all the women in “Heeramandi” run the show, while the male characters are nothing but cogs in the wheels. Shekhar Suman has a small but intriguing role as an aging Nawab, a loyal patron of Mallikajan. Perhaps one of the most hilarious scenes in the series belongs to him, where he’s so intoxicated that he imagines he’s engaging in amorous activities with a courtesan, when he’s merely fumbling against the confines of his carriage.
Despite some great performances and gorgeous cinematography, the pace and execution of Heeramandi’s plot is choppy. One of the surprise disappointments of this series was the forgettable soundtrack – even though a lot of the episodes feature song and dance, none of them come close to the magic Sanjay Leela Bhansali created with the tracks in “Devdas”. The women maybe draped in the finest silks, and blindingly beautiful jewellery, but their music doesn’t have an aching soul, nor a seductive rhythm. Sure, the tracks are quite nice, but you’d expect something more than just “nice” from a historical drama of this scale and budget. In-fact, after a point, the sad sitar sounds accompanying sombre moments become annoying, and dilute a scene, instead of enhancing its emotion.
“Heeramandi” feels like two different movies mashed together: one about the games courtesans play to outwit each other and attract the wealthiest patrons to their mansions, and another about how these talented women were more than just performing artists; they were revolutionaries who dreamed of freedom and laid down their lives for their nation’s independence. These two starkly different themes are blended awkwardly, and all the glittering sets aren’t blinding enough to see through the script’s flaws. Regardless, “Heeramandi” makes for an entertaining one-time-watch, especially for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s fans.
Rating: 6 on 10. You can stream “Heeramandi” on Netflix.
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