What Is the Story About?
A stone-hearted Mallikajaan clings to her authority, reigning over an elite kotha of tawaifs in a red-light district Heera Mandi in Lahore. She’s forced to confront her dark past when a long-lost niece Fareedan returns to town and is desperate for redemption. While tolerating internal and outward rebellion in a British-ruled India, Mallika needs to tread a new path to keep the legacy of the tawaifs alive.
Performances?
Manisha Koirala-Bhansali’s association comes full circle from Khamoshi to Heeramandi. In a marked departure from her delicate, fragile screen presence in her early appearances, she gets to play a tough, ageing tawaif-act in the show and is presented with a rare opportunity to bring her experience to the fore. She masterfully portrays an unlikeable, bitter, broken matriarch, who’s forced to come to terms with destiny and change.
However, Sonakshi Sinha is the real deal in Heeramandi. There’s a sensuousness, an ‘adah’ in her performance that makes you root for her despite her questionable intentions. Richa Chaddha’s raw, visceral performance makes an impact within the limitations of her role. Aditi Rao Hydari is equally impressive as the middle-aged tawaif, torn between the kotha and the freedom struggle.
Sharmin Segal is the epitome of beauty that the tale demands her to be, though the performance isn’t as transparent and penetrative for a viewer to be affected by her heartbreak. Sanjeeda Sheikh makes a mark as the sister who’s denied her due and so does Taha Shah as the lovestruck nawab. Veterans Jayati Bhatia and Farida Jalal bring warmth to the proceedings.
There’s not much Adhyayan Suman, Shekar Suman or Fardeen Khan do to warrant your attention. The casting choices – of using a real-life father-son duo Shekar Suman, Adhyayan Suman (to portray two generations of nawabs across flashbacks) and the same actress Sonkashi to play a mother and a daughter – are outdated.
Analysis
The sheer artistry and the pain that goes into recreating yesteryear glory onto the screen – it’s hard not to be seduced by it. It’s an excuse to nostalgically hold onto the past, albeit briefly, and look at the present through a rose-tinted lens. Over many years, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has found solace in the past, drowning in its opulence, however, at the expense of his craft.
Heeramandi 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. There’s so much to absorb within its transient imagery; it’s so dreamy that you could watch the costumes, jewellery of the courtesans, mansions in mute (only before it turns vulgar).
There’s a lazy elegance in the lifestyle of tawaifs in Lahore. They’re women helpless about their lineage, mourning shattered dreams of a rosy future with their beloved and yet won’t compromise on their dignity. Even as a rebellion brews within the house and the tawaifs despise one another secretly, they put up a united front for a larger cause.
Bhansali painstakingly establishes the inner workings of the kotha. The storyteller is keen to leave an imprint visually, to the point that the plot takes a backseat. Every word uttered by the tawaifs feels like the work of a shayar, it’s surprising that only one among them – Alam (Mallikajaan’s daughter) – is a poetess. Amidst the verbal/visual diarrhoea, the tale struggles to stir you up emotionally.
The episodes keep hamming the fact that tawaifs are a cursed lot and how the men love their societal status more than the women. Only with the arrival of Mallikajaan’s niece Fareedan that threatens the power hierarchy within the house, does the plot gain some steam. The drama gets juicier as Mallikajaan and Fareedan indulge in a game of one-upmanship.
Mallikajaan-Fareedan’s rift comes with a price as their vile strategies take unexpected turns, threatening the future of the kotha. It’s appreciable that Bhansali humanises the tawaifs and doesn’t reduce them to one-note characters. He uses the long-format efficiently to tap into various facets of their persona, understand their motives better.
While drawing the viewer to the inter-generational clashes among the tawaifs, Heeramandi also offers a compelling account of their contribution to the freedom struggle. Even as they grapple with love, loss, betrayal, regret and humiliation, the show stands as a testimony to their uncrushable spirit. They know when to put their differences aside and stand up for their land.
Heeramandi 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. For the thespian to return to prime form, his stories are in dire need of a newer lens.
Music and Other Departments?
Azadi, Chaudhvi Shab, Masoom Dil Hai Mera are the standout tracks in Heeramandi’s bewitching album. When the dialoguebaazi gets too indulgent to handle, the songs serve as a timely distraction to connect the dots seamlessly. The colour grading is slightly inconsistent and times too artificial to resonate with the ambience.
Cinematographers Sudeep Chatterjee, Mahesh Limaye, Huenstang Mohapatra, Ragul Dharuman deliver exactly what one expects from SLB – an uncompromising showcase of grandiosity. Expectedly, the production design and costumes contribute to the visual allure too. Though Heera Mandi is a story that deserved an episodic interpretation, the exhausting seven-hour duration is unjustified.
Highlights?
Compelling performances from the ensemble cast
Portrayal of an unexplored dimension of freedom struggle
Technical finesse – across music, cinematography, production design and costumes
Drawbacks?
SLB’s obsession for grandeur
Redundant subplots
Exhaustive runtime
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, with reservations
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
Heeramandi Series Review by Binged Bureau