A Review of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar

May 16th, 2024

Thanks to the world of streaming, we have the ability to watch any new series in one go (the only thing you need is time on hand- the ability to stay awake is mostly there). So, when the much-awaited Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar was released on Netflix last in the beginning of this month, the series was watched widely and instantly and was talked about overwhelmingly. The trailer had fascinated me for days and I was looking forward to it like many others. I have watched it two times since then and here are my thoughts…

Heeramandi’s review can be best described as ambivalent, thus a hard to write one. The production presents some of the most remarkable aspects as well as quite dull moments one can experience on screen. I had a love and hate relationship with this series so the review written more like a commentary on the series as it progressed, highlighting some points that I liked and some I did not agree with.

The story takes us to a world of the pre-partition India, to the lifestyles of Nawabs, influence of courtesans and a glimpse of their interactions with the rulers of that time, Britishers- all in the backdrop of a changing sub-continent. The theme of struggle for power, succession, freedom, tainted by divided loyalties appeared both in the family of Heeramandi and the then country. The show further weaves together plotlines of a murder investigation from a generation ago, a love story, and a courtesan’s clandestine role in a rebellion against British rule, leading to the revolution.

The ensemble cast was a treat- Lajjo (a beauty so like Meena Kumari) being at the top of list. Malika Jaan and Fareedan’s charismatic personalities was done beautifully and remained strong presence throughout the series, and Bibbo Jan gave one of her best performances and Fareeda was in a great support role. Tajdar, Cartwright and Ustaad did outstanding acting. The characterization was however not very strong and left much to be desired, as each character was given a short time with a story of their own.

Mr. Bansali has been a director known to get the best out in any actor, which for the movies I have watched had been compensation for the lack of stories (that and the grand sets). Sharmin Saigol, however comes as an exception– well she is a pretty woman but lacked the expressions that reflects the beauty in any human, expressions that do not need exquisitely carved features, mesmerizing eyes, makeup, hairdos or adornment. Enough has been said about her so I will refrain from writing what you and I have already seen or heard. Since I walked into the series knowing that about her, her flat affect was not that big of a disappointment for me. I will however say this in defense of Ms. Saigol’s that her performance was not as bad as the dialogues and role assigned to her. Understood, she was to portray a girl apart from the typical Heeramandi scion, not interested in the inherited trade, a rather dreamy and romantic soul, delighting in her own endeavors of poetry and romance instead of striving to take seat of her mother, Malika Jaan. Her role however could have been made stronger with elements and characterization that could compensate for her glazed look – especially under the directorship of someone like Bansali. I believe her role and some push in her acting could have brought the series to a different level.

As far as the aesthetics are concerned, Heeramandi comes as no surprise, being a work of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. This might seem a conflicting statement, but it suits Bhansali’s production so well – it is hard to criticize a period drama that is so beautifully presented – at least for some time you forget how flimsy the narrative it, how weak some of the performance is or how unoriginal the whole façade might be. The first 2-3 episodes are quite engaging. The allure of the beautiful sets and gorgeously dressed women might have continued, had the story stayed as gripping beyond 3^rd or 4^th episode. The plot started to lose its vigor and my interest waned.

The episodes spanning the love story between Alam and Tajdar became the reason for my declined interest. It was very hard to sit through those for variety of reasons – the weak, almost “unintentional” meandering storyline, lack of grasp on the events, meaningless dialogues and of course the lukewarm acting of not only Alam Zeb, but also that Ashfaq Baloch and Qudisa Begum’s (Fareeda Jalal is an amazing actress and did great but her role appeared very flimsy during these episodes, mainly due to the weakness in story). The story for those few episodes seemed to ramble in any which way direction. However, the good news is the series rescued itself as it picked the pace in the last two episodes and it finished somewhat stronger.

The dialogues were a strong point of the series and well-timed and for the most part, well-delivered. Some scenes however were disappointing, and deflated the highly emotionally charged scenes. The weak delivery of dialogues for important scenes is not a hallmark of Bansali productions otherwise, but few shocking plot surprises (though not completely unpredictable) which actually enhanced the story line, were not handled perfectly. Without spoiling it for someone who has not watched the series yet, the scenes include Malika Jaan in Nawab Zorawar’s home, jail scene with Nawabs and courtesan, the relationship between Malika Jaan and Fareedan, all contributed to somewhat taking the importance of those scenes and events.

The sets were beyond magnificent, awe-inspiring with opulent stately interiors and vast exteriors. There was a great cast of goddess beautiful women draped in heavy ornate clothing and glittering jewelry. Nothing less than a majestic affair, though eye-pleasing, was however glorified to an unrealistic extent, pushed to a point that the atmosphere looked like a world from another “realm”, rather than another era. Many historical inaccuracies invalidated originality. Lahore has its own character and no matter how endearing and mannered the tahzeeb of Umrao Jaan’s Lucknow is, Heeramandi had a charm specific to the land. Plus the mansion-like grandeur of the establishments known as kothas, and the array of stunning women adorned in heavy jewelry, yards and yards of dazzling flowy ghararas, looking picture-perfect almost any hour of the day not only misrepresented Lahore’s Diamond Market’s narrow alleys and much smaller, less dazzling establishments, it also did not do the true justice to the bitter and dark life a courtesan may lead. The fates attached to this profession are not usually as glorious as they look on the surface and although there are few scenes that show the occupational hazards of the industry of flesh mart, the overall allure takes over that hidden pain that is to be endured by these ladies. Lajjo’s life was hardly realistic but very short glimpse in the life of a courtesan, so was the youth of Malika Jaan but the incidents were not granted the warranted pain and severity.

Heeramandi had a potential, had it stayed within bounds of fewer themes and sub-plots but the series took a lot upon itself in terms of topics and events. The plethora of subjects stuffed in the series made the story weak and led to an astray plot struggling to cover so many issues and present various societal changes– each of which individually very strong and vital but when shoved together, clashed into each other and lost the impact each was supposed to have, or could have had. Each character having a mini-life event, love, hate, jealousy, regret and revenge, with the background revolution of partition, the tug between Nawabs, British and courtesans, all got lost in the effort to address each. Of all the themes that Bansali targeted – and he targeted a lot of them, the most appealing was the dynamics of the triangle interdependence of courtesans, nawabs and British rulers. The role of courtesans in the dynamic of pre-partition sub-continent, and their participation in the freedom was a strong element in its own. Few days before the series aired, Dallas was visited by the travelling performance team of Umrao Jaan Musical (read our review here). They had also hinted to and appreciated the efforts of the women from the trade during independence. This eclipsed feat and contribution presented as the main theme could have made the storyline stronger and with Bansali’s splendor production skills, this could have definitely become a memorable series, a great reminder of a chapter of history that played an important role in the independence.

Overall, I enjoyed watching this maximalist production for the most part. Songs are beautiful, Khusro’s Phool rahi sarson and Masoon dil he mera are a treat to watch! Characterization was not strong but mostly acting was impressive, the storyline wavering but ended good. You are in for a treat if you like beautiful aesthetics and are willing to forgive the strength of overall plot. I found it better the second time and appreciated the effort and production. I just wish the director had stayed focused on solid 2-3 subjects, instead of the abundance of the sub-themes he tried to incorporate. A depth rather than breadth of the story would have been much more impactful, and then maybe the unrealistic sets and the gorgeous ladies would have held their appeal.

All images courtesy of Netflix