Heeramandi Cast: Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Farida Jalal, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, and Sharmin Segal Sanjay Leela Bhansali are the creators. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the director. Netflix is the streaming service. Language: Urdu and Hindi Runtime: Eight 45–50 minute episodes
Sanjay Leela Bhansali introduced us to the world of Heeramandi a few weeks ago. Six dancing queens and the tales they told while ruling a Lahore mohalla together. They referred to themselves as the Lahore queens, and because they controlled the Nawabs, the British were somehow afraid of them! I felt a little uneasy when the series’ trailer dropped because it revealed all of this.
Are you curious as to why? because Bhansali is a dreamer. He is a master craftsman who truly creates visions on a divine level. However, there was a problem with his most recent web series: it made hints about leaving the fantasy realm and going into the actual world, where India was engaged in an independence movement.
What It Concerns:
The Mujrewalis, who are all members of the same family, control the mohalla of Heeramandi. These women compete with one another to succeed and control the same environment, despite their differences and strengths. Some of them most likely desired to be the Shahi Mahal’s “Huzoor” and rule the Kotha, while others presumably desired a normal existence by being the spouses of their Sahabs, the Nawabs who ruled the region.
The theme of this web series is how these groups of “tawaifs” end up in the middle of the independence movement and how they break through the gem-studded walls of their others to become “Mulkwalis” instead of “Mujrewalis.”
What Functions:
We are thrust into the enchanted realm of Sanjay Leela Bhansali from the very first frame. Exquisite scenery, shimmering gowns, and dreamlike women adorned in extravagant apparel. In contrast to other Bhansali films, this web series opens with the most pivotal scene in the narrative without first introducing the characters, allowing viewers to take in the majesty without understanding the motivations of the characters.
Heeramandi introduces its characters right away. Their storylines are divided into eight episodes, each of which introduces a new character. However, this comment ends here, as this is the only section of the nearly seven-hour web series that functions. Nothing further will work for this web series after this!
Star Performance:
There are several celebrities in the online series. Richa Chaddha, the fiery one, and Manisha Koirala, the icy one. From the cunning Aditi Rao Hydari to the innocent and devout Sharmin Sehgal. Sonakshi Sinha is a constant plotter, from the sinister-looking Sanjeeda Sheikh. Do any of them stand out? Not at all! Are they all brilliant? Not at all! Do they all receive their one big break in the world of Sanjay Leela Bhansali? Not at all! Do they then simply continue to dance by their series characters? Not at all! Are they simply dressed like Mujrewaalis then? Indeed!
Even if each episode is named after them (Mallika Jaan, Bibbo Jaan, Waheedajaan, Fareedanjaan, and so forth), not a single opportunity is given to them to take center stage, leave their mark, or just shine!
We won’t even begin to discuss the men of Heeramandi since, except for Taha Shah, who emerges as the most significant man from Heeramandi, they don’t even exist!
What Is Ineffective:
The list of things that don’t work for Heeramandi is too long to begin. First of all, the entire series lacks a clear plot and appears to be unsure about which direction to go. I’m not sure whether I can answer your question concerning the plot of this story, even after spending seven or eight hours watching the full series.
Heeramandi begins with the story of two sisters at war; One of them challenges the other to beat him because he is a good tawaif. It revolves around a group of women and their relationship with Nawabs, called Sahibs, the emotional struggle in which they fall in love but never get the chance to realize that love. This then turns into the story of a young woman who was born and brought up in Kotha but had career aspirations other than being a Tawif. He dared to dream different dreams. The story turns into a fight between two sisters, and the process of revenge suddenly turns into a war of independence. All in all, it’s like studying the night before an exam. You just need to turn the page from one topic to another, but you probably won’t understand the word until you decide to turn it over and scribble on your paper! That’s exactly what Heeramandi does. And more importantly, it will be the love story of a Kotha girl and a Nawab.
The fact that many of the Mujrewalis in this series aren’t dancing correctly is another issue. Imagine missing the chance to introduce music and dances on par with Umraao Jaan’s and Mughal-E-Azam’s. It is to be expected from Bhansali’s universe and these opulent sets. But you wouldn’t be able to recall even a single song or dance! Except for the story‘s finale song, Azaadi, which is, to be honest, completely meaningless!
Last Words:
Heeramandi’s primary issue is his disorganized ideas about freedom and his confusion about it with the freedom movement. Although the plot never explicitly depicts these women’s desire for freedom until the fifth or sixth episode, we may deduce that they do. To be honest, only one of the women seemed to desire freedom; the others simply adopted her desires and impulses, making it their own! Even so, she only desired freedom for herself, therefore it made no sense to force her to fight for it.
