Heeramandi REVIEW: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Diamond Bazaar shines bright amidst love, deceit & drama; Aditi Rao Hydari, Manisha Koirala steal the show

Film:
Heeramandi

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Cast: Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Sharmin Segal, Farida Jalal, Taha Shah Badussh, Fardeen Khan, Adhyayan Suman, Shekhar Suman, Jason Shah, Indresh Malik

Episodes: 08

Runtime: 434 minutes (45-65 minutes/each)

Platform: Netflix

Heeramandi Review

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s much-awaited Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is a period drama series centred on the lives of the Tawaifs in the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore. Set during the Indian independence movement against the British Raj, the Netflix series stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh and Sharmin Segal as the courtesan/nautch girls. 

The 8-episode long series lightly talks about the political unrest during the British Raj and how the courtesans played a part in the freedom struggle. The SLB-directed series mainly focuses on the love story of Alamzeb (Sharmin) and Tajdar (Taha Shah Badussha) as well as the bad blood between Mallikajaan (Manisha), Fareedan (Sonakshi) and Waheeda (Sanjeeda). The intriguing series – which will have you binge-watching it for over 7 hours, also talks about the Tawaifs’ unsuccessful love lives. It sheds light on the name-calling they were subjected to.

What Works

One of the biggest things that work for Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is Sanjay Leela Bhansali wearing the director’s cap. The Netflix show has a compelling storyline that is brought to life with soul-stirring music & dance, elaborate costumes & sets, and impressive performances. The period drama has a perfect blend of love, betrayal, politics and patriotism that makes binge-watching it for over 7 hours seem normal.

What Doesn’t Work

There is nothing that didn’t work but things that could have made the show even better. One thing that could help make Heeramandi perfect would be if other characters were given more screen time. Aside from that, fans will wish a few more minutes added to the show’s last episode.

Technical Analysis

Direction

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has once again proved he’s the master of the craft. From capturing the magnificent sets to the raw emotions of every character, SLB misses nothing. He has paid attention to the smallest of details, so much so that you would need a magnifying glass to find any mistake. Bhansali does justice in all sequences be they music and love or fights, betrayal and deaths.

Story, Script & Dialogues

Created by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and written by Moin Baig, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is a beautifully made mixture with all components in correct proportions. Be it the intimate relationship between Bibbojaan and Wali Sahab, the budding romance between Alamzeb and Tajdar or the bitterness between Mallikajaan, Fareedan and Waheeda, the show has it all.

The right amounts of love, betrayal, politics, family pressure, societal pressure and patriotism, make the Netflix show an amazing watch. The script – though written beautifully, could do with a little more fitness in keeping the storylines clear. We wish Baig gave a little more importance to the other relationships on the show too besides Alam and Taj’s.

Heeramandi has some hard-hitting dialogues that are sure to stay with you even after you are with all the episodes. The lines heard in the trailer and other promotional material are only 5% of what is in the show.

Costumes

A Bhansali project sees its stars dressed to the nines while staying true to the eras it’s set in. And Heeramandi is no different. The costumes – created by designers Rimple Narula and Harpreet Narula, are partially inspired by the fashion styles of Patience Cooper, Suraiya, Swaran Lata, Noor Jehan, Shamshad Begum and Mukhtar Begum. From heavy Anarkali for their mujras to elegant, but still over-the-top sarees for outings and cotton suits for daily life, the ensembles are on point.

Set Production

Heeramandi features several elaborate sets used to recreate the richness of Lahore during British rule. From several havelis (mansions) to town squares, shops, marketplaces and ruins, it’s clearly evident the makers have not held back on any funds. It screams Sanjay Leela Bhansali grandeur and we are loving it.  

Cinematography

Cinematographers Sudeep Chatterjee, Mahesh Limaye, Huenstang Mohpatra and Ragul Dharuman deserve a round of applause for helping SLB capture wonderful sequences from different angles and using different lighting to enhance the viewing experience. 

Editing

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has worn many hats in this show and one of them is that of the editor. SLB has done a good job at the editing table, however, we wish certain scenes were edited a bit more and kept crisp. At the same time, we wish Bhansali spoke to the team and got some more content in the last couple of episodes.

Music

The music of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is one of the highlights of the Netflix series. While all the songs are composed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali (under his record label, Bhansali Music), their lyrics have been provided by AM Turaz and Amir Khusro. The series has 9 tracks and neither one is skippable. The songs play a pivotal part in the narrative and help in conveying the emotions the characters are going through in a given situation. 

Love, romance, betrayal, heartbreak, and patriotism – each emotion is brought out beautifully not only through the beats of the music but also through the expressive dance performances/mujras. Aditi Rao Hydari deserves standing applause for every single performance she does in the series. 

The film’s background score – provided by Benedict Taylor and Naren Chandavarkar, helps maintain the pace of the show and takes the audience on a journey of a lifetime. 

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar Star Performance

When it comes to acting, it’s difficult to pinpoint who’s the brightest diamonds of Heeramandi. Aditi Rao Hydari, Manisha Koirala, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, and Sonakshi Sinha all essay their parts to perfection. The men of the show leave an impact too despite having limited screen time. The highlight among them however can easily be down to two stars. They are, Adhyayan Suman (he will make your blood boil in every scene) and Taha Shah Badussha (he appears to be the greenest of green forests). 

Manisha brings to light the brutality of Mallikajaan with such perfection that at times, you may forget she’s playing a character. Adit Rao Hydari steals every scene she’s in as she oozes elegance as the much-loved Bibbojaan. Sonakshi Sinha delivers a hard-hitting performance as both Fareedan and Rehana. While the former sees her as a free spirit, the latter has her ruling Heeramandi with an iron fist.

Sharmin beautifully portrays the naive Alamzeb as she defies the rules of Heeramand and dares to fall in love, however, she does look a little stiff in scenes. Sanjeeda Sheikh as Waheeda will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. She will make you sympathise with her and even enrage you enough to make you want to slap her. Richa Chadha leaves an impression despite having limited screen time. 

Taha Shah Badussha as Tajdar delivers an impactful performance. A little more spice in his and Alam’s love story would made his story better. We wish SLB and the team wove in some magic in their relationship. We wish the other men of the show – Fardeen Khan‘s Wali, Adhyayan Suman‘s Zoravar and Shekhar Suman‘s Zulfikar, had more screen time so that we could enjoy some more. Farida Jalal too delivers a commendable performance as Begum Qudsia. Indresh Malik as Ustaad is a treat to watch whenever he’s on screen.

Conclusion

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi is a gem of a show that everyone needs to be watch. It’s an impressive story of the Tawaifs in the red-light district of Lahore’s Heera Mandi during the British rule beautifully packaged with grandeur sets, soul-stirring music, period-appropriate ensembles and a stellar acting performance. Watch the show at the earliest, and make sure you have enough snacks around you to last 7 hours. You won’t get up until the last episode’s credits roll by.

Watch Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar trailer here:

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