Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. (L to R) Aditi Rao Hydari as Bibbo, Manisha Koirala as Mallikajaan, Sanjeeda Sheikh as Waheeda, Richa Chadha as Lajjo in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
This month, many anticipated new releases are hitting the Netflix homepages, such as the popular Sydney Sweeney flick ‘Anyone But You’ and the newest season of ‘Bridgerton’. Many Bollywood releases have been sweeping Netflix’s new releases, especially hitting hard in the musical category. However, one of the new releases, ‘Heeramandi’ stands out from many of the releases, as this new musical series is an anticipated reunion for the Bollywood fanbase.
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The Bollywood Megastars Reunited 28 Years Later – Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Superstar Manisha Koirala
One of the biggest Bollywood directors, Sanjay Leela Bhansali is back in the director’s seat for this new series. This is Bhansali’s first streaming series of his career, and his transition from feature films to streaming series has already been solid. Pacing in feature-length films versus that of a television episode is like night and day. However, after watching the first episode, I feel ready for more. The first episode doesn’t feel like too much or too little for the first episode, as the transition from feature-length to a shorter time frame can lend itself to.
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The Bollywood superstar and Nepali actress Manisha Koirala is also making her return to Bhansali’s poetry as the lead role, Mallikajaan. While Koirala is not only a Bollywood superstar and a stellar actress in her own right, she is reuniting with Bhansali after 28 years. Sanjay Leela Bhansali made his first film, ‘Khamoshi: The Musical’ with Koirala in the leading role of Annie. This reunification in Bhansali’s first streaming series is almost symbolic, especially in the Bollywood fanbase.
THE WORLD OF ‘HEERAMANDI’
‘Heeramandi’ is about the red-light district in Heera Mandi in Lahore, current-day Pakistan, during the independence movement against the British Empire. The series follows the courtesans and dancers within this district, as well as themes of this independence movement and the romances that take place in this dark world. It feels reminiscent of ‘Bridgerton’ or Baz Luhrman’s ‘Moulin Rouge’. With a revolution in front of the background of the sparkling musical romance, ‘Heeramandi’ has something for everyone.
Right off, the costume design is gorgeous. The series takes place in the 1920s, which is a decade that features prominent fashion choices. The dark color palette and notions of sparkles help make the costumes stand out. The imagery in the costume design helps introduce us to this dark, musical, world that isn’t always seen in Bollywood stories. It’s not all bright colors, it can be darkness as well.
As mentioned before, the first episode has a strong pacing that leaves you wanting more. While the first episode is packed with multiple storylines that get us ready for what is coming in the series, it doesn’t feel like too much into one episode. It may be easy to get lost with everything happening and the history behind the series, but doing your research and paying close attention to subtitles will help audiences get every detail in.
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WORTH THE WAIT
Sanjay Leela Bhansali has gone all out with the direction of this show. The creativity it takes to make this show come to life is absolutely incredible, and, as I mentioned earlier, his transition from feature films to streaming series has been seamless. Bhansali has been known to go all out in his direction, with films like ‘Padmaavat’ being an epic extravaganza. While musical series have not been as prominent or popular since the ‘Glee’ era, I feel as if ‘Heeramandi’ is its own brand of musical series. The direction helps lead it to the nostalgic and big ideas that musical films have always strived to be, rather than many of the toned-down versions of musicals that have been hitting our screens in recent years.
The performance from Manisha Koirala is stunning in this series. Her portrayal of Mallikajaan, the chief courtesan of ‘Heeramandi’, is haunting as she channels these different aspects of her character. She is ruthless and competitive but has elements of tough love behind her hard exterior. Koirala is the absolute force and heart of this series, as she pulls you into the story from the moment she is on screen. The reunification of her acting, paired with Bhansali’s direction was well worth the 28-year wait, as she fits right in perfectly with his maximalist direction. Is it too soon to say Meryl Streep of Bollywood? This is not her first time being lauded on Hollywood Insider, as Manisha’s powerhouse talent has been highlighted by The Hollywood Insider in the film “Dil Se” for which the director Mani Ratnam had been awarded the Masters of Cinema Award – featuring music by the maestro and Oscar winner A. R. Rahman – read all about it here.
Bhansali and Koirala might be from Bollywood, but they are here to shake up Hollywood and rule it together. As director and muse, or rightfully King of Bollywood and Queen of Bollywood – or more accurately, Mallikajaan.
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Overall, ‘Heeramandi’ is a nostalgic, and innovative new series that reminds you of old favorite films, while pulling you in for a new storyline. The anticipated series is one not to be missed on Netflix, especially due to the team of Koirala and Bhansali, some of the most prominent artists of today. While this series symbolizes a new era of entertainment, the nostalgic and extravagant elements help bring back what fans truly love about entertainment.
Cast: Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal | Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Writer: Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Producers: Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Prerna Singh | Cinematography: Sudeep Chatterjee, Mahesh Limaye, Huenstang Mohapatra, Ragul Dharuman | Editing: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
By Abigail Johnson
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Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
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Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
