Heeramandi Review: Sanjay leela Bhansali debut series has its moments but fails to match the mammoth expectations
Heeramandi Web Series Rating: 2 Stars
Watched Heeramandi Web Series on Netflix. So, let’s analyze the cast, release date, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this web series.
Cast: Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah, Farida Jalal, Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan and Adhyayan Suman
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Release Date: 1st May 2024 on Netflix
Duration: 8 Episodes/ 50 Minutes
Story: Set in 1940’s in Heeramandi where Nawabs fund these brothels with each having a nautch girl reserved for their entertainment daily even as their wives lead lonely lives in their palaces. Shahi Mahal is controlled by Mallikajaan (Manisha Koirala). She has a dark past of killing her elder sister Rehana (Sonakshi Sinha) and ill-treating her younger sister Waheeda (Sanjeeda Shaikh) who is forever being duped of her due. She hates her and blames her for ruining her life and taking away what she feels is rightfully hers.
Her two daughters Bibbojaan (Aditi Rao Hydari) and Alamzeb (Sharmin Sehgal) love their mother but are not interested in taking her legacy forward. Bibbojaan is secretly part of the independence struggle, supplying crucial information about the British to the rebels while Alamzeb is a poetess, wants to leave Shahi Mahal and marry the man Nawab Tajdar (Taha Shah) with whom she is deeply in love with.
Mallika is also a foster mother of sorts to Lajjo (Richa Chadha) who has a tragic figure, always intoxicated and in grief due to unrequited love. And while Mallika navigates all these women and runs a thriving brothel, her biggest threat comes from Fareedan (Sonakshi Sinha) daughter of Rehana who is eyeing to take control of the Shahi Mahal and the position of power.
As the politics and tussle for power rages on in the bylanes of Heeramandi, there is also a growing unrest in the country with most rejecting the British rule and its oppression. While the women initially are clashing with each other over the greater control of Heeramandi, they ultimately realise that their whole existence is in danger as British intend to wipe out Heeramandi completely.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Direction
3. Climax
4. Last 2 episodes
Negatives
1. Length
2. Music
3. Too many subplots
4. Screenplay
5. Story
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this web-series, planned to watch this series in my free time as its look good in parts and always liked Sanjay leela Bhansali vision & direction.
With a backdrop of the Indian independence movement against the British Raj in the 1940s, it chronicles the lives of tawaifs of the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore.
Heeramandi is set at a time when noblemen would send their sons to these brothels to learn etiquette, to appreciate art before they step out in the real world. It is a time when the nautch girls walked around the streets with great pride over their beauty, their talent and their ability to wrap the most powerful men around their fingers. It is Bhansali in his comfort zone. Only he could elevate the tale to a larger-than-life stature visually, let the viewers soak in its drama without diluting the vulnerability and the resilience of his characters. Screenplay is detailed with each character getting a back story. There are multiple plots, one of a mother avenging her infant baby’s disappearance, one of an aspiring poetess unwillingly falling for a rebel, of a daughter wanting to avenge the death of her mother, of a lover who never got back the love she desired, of a rebel whose first and only love is freedom of her beloved country, of a sister who has waited too long to get what belongs to her but has failed multiple number of times. Each character has tragic stories that the maker beautifully weaves into the main plot. To its credit, the show has some terrific performances from its leading ladies.
On the flipside, Concentration was more on the grandeur, due to which storytelling took a beating. Bhansali’s urge to make every frame look like a painting has, in one way caused damage to the series and narration doesn’t quite pack a punch. The initial four episodes are dragged unnecessarily, with nothing much happening plot-wise. There are many scenes that will test the patience levels, and the series is crammed with many subplots that aren’t related to the main plot. The decision to cast Sharmin Segal for such an important role wasn’t a great one. The young actress could have done a far better job, and there is a lot of room for improvement. Bhansali’s magic is missing in the love track, which is the soul of this historical drama.
It is a necessary account of a forgotten chapter in India’s rise as an independent nation and a crude reminder of how little has it done to alter the plight of women. The show isn’t Bhansali’s best, but you can’t dismiss that only someone of his skill could’ve come close to doing justice to the material. Overall, series has its moments, but the overall experience falls short of being satisfactory. My view on this series Not Recommended. Still if you are big Bhansali fan Watch the series for its grandeur and for the inspired acting displayed by the entire cast.
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