''Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar'' is a 2024 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

television series created and directed by

Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sanjay Leela Bhansali (born 24 February 1963) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and music composer, who works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several awards, including seven National Film Awards and twelve Filmf ...

. Set in the red-light district of

Heera Mandi Heera Mandi (Urdu and ), sometimes referred to as Shahi Mohallah (''"Royal Neighbourhood"''), is a neighbourhood and bazaar located in the Walled City of Lahore. It is specifically known as the red light district of Lahore, Pakistan. It ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

during the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

, the series explores the lives of ''

tawaif A ''tawaif'' () was a highly successful courtesan singer‚ dancer‚ and poet who catered to the nobility of the Indian subcontinent, particularly during the Mughal era. Many tawaifs (" nautch girls" to the British) were forced to go into pro ...

s'' and their intersection with political and personal struggles under

British colonial rule The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

. The

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

includes

Manisha Koirala Manisha Koirala (; born 16 August 1970) is a Nepali people, Nepalese actress who works in Cinema of India, Indian films, predominantly in Hindi and Tamil language, Tamil. Born to the politically prominent Koirala family, she is the daughter of ...

Sonakshi Sinha Sonakshi Sinha (; born 2 June 1987) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films and series. The daughter of actors and politicians Poonam Sinha, Poonam and Shatrughan Sinha, she has appeared in ''Forbes India'' Forbes Celebrity 100, Celebrity ...

Aditi Rao Hydari Aditi Rao Hydari (born 28 October 1986) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi cinema, Hindi, Tamil cinema, Tamil, and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. Born into the Tyabji family, Tyabji–Hydari family, she made her acting debut with the Mal ...

Richa Chadha Richa Chadha (born 18 December 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi cinema. She made her acting debut with a small role in the comedy film ''Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!'' (2008). Chadha's breakthrough came in 2012 with the crime film ''Gangs ...

Sanjeeda Sheikh Sanjeeda Sheikh (born 20 December 1984) is an Indian actress who works in the Hindi films and television. Sheikh is best known for playing Namrata "Nimmo" Mathuria in '' Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa'', Ayesha Shergill in '' Kayamath'', Nitya Goenka / Du ...

, Sharmin Segal, and Taha Shah Badussha. The series premiered on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on 1 May 2024 and received mixed reviews from critics. In June 2024, it was renewed for a second season. At the

2024 Filmfare OTT Awards 2024 Filmfare OTT Awards, the fifth edition of awards presented to honour artistic and technical excellence in original programming on over-the-top streaming media in Hindi-language. Web original shows or films released across OTT platforms be ...

, ''Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar'' received a leading 17 nominations, including Best Drama Series, Best Director in a Drama Series (for Bhansali), and Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (for both Chadha and Sheikh), and won 5 awards, including Best Actress in a Drama Series (for Koirala).

Premise

Set against the backdrop of the

in the 1940s, ''Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar'' chronicles the lives of ''

s'' in the

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...

Cast

Main

as Mallikajaan: chief

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

of Shahi Mahal *

in a dual role as **Rehana Jahan: former chief courtesan of Shahi Mahal, Mallikajaan and Waheeda's elder sister **Fareedan Jahan: chief courtesan of Khwabgah and Rehana's daughter *

as Bibbojaan: Mallikajaan's elder daughter *

as Lajwanti "Lajjo": Mallikajaan's foster daughter *

as Waheeda: Rehana and Mallikajaan's younger sister * Sharmin Segal as Alamzeb: Mallikajaan's youngest daughter * Taha Shah Badussha as

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

Tajdar Baloch: an advocate and Alamzeb's lover

Recurring

Farida Jalal Farida Jalal (born Farida Sami; 18 May 1950) is an Indian actress who primarily worked in Hindi films. In a film career spanning almost fifty years, Jalal appeared in over 200 films. Best known for her character-driven roles in independent cin ...

as Qudsia Begum: Tajdar's grandmother *

Adhyayan Suman Adhyayan Suman (born 13 January 1988) is an Indian actor and singer who appears in Hindi language films. He debuted in 2008 with . His second film was ''Raaz – The Mystery Continues'' was a commercial success. Personal life Suman was born i ...

as Zoravar Ali Khan / Imaad: Mallikajaan's son and Lajjo's patron *

Fardeen Khan Fardeen Khan (; born 8 March 1974) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Hindi films. Born to actor and film producer Feroz Khan, he is part of the Khan family. He made his acting debut in the film '' Prem Aggan'' (1998), for which he won the ...

as Wali Bin Zayed-Al Mohammed: Bibbojaan's and Fareedan's patron *

Shekhar Suman Shekhar Suman (born 7 December 1962) is an Indian actor, anchor, producer, director, and singer working in the Hindi cinema. Personal life Shekhar Suman belongs to a Bihari Kayastha family . He married Alka Suman on 4 May 1983, and has a so ...

as Khan Bahadur Zulfikar Ahmed: Mallikajaan's patron **

as young Zulfikar *Indresh Malik as Ustaad *

Jason Shah Jason Shah (born 14 December 1987) is a British actor and fitness model. He has participated in the 10th season of the Indian reality TV show ''Bigg Boss'' as a wildcard entrant, and played Captain Hugh Ross in ''Jhansi Ki Rani'' on Colors TV ...

as Alastair Cartwright *

Jayati Bhatia Jayati Bhatia (born 28 July 1970) is an Indian actress. She is best known for her role as Nirmala "Mataji" Bharadwaj in Sasural Simar Ka (2011–2018), one of the longest-running Indian television series ever, that aired on Colors TV. She als ...

as Fathima "Phatto" ,Mallikajaan's maid *Nivedita Bhargava as Satto: Mallikajaan's maid *Abha Ranta as young Mallikajaan * Vaishnavi Ganatra as young Waheeda *

Shruti Sharma Shruti Sharma (Born as Sadia Afridi) is an Indian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She won the title of Femina Miss India World and represented India at Miss World 2002 pageant held at London, England and made it to the semi-fi ...

as Saima / Mirza Begum: Alamzeb's maid, Iqbal's lover *Rajat Kaul as Iqbal "Balli" Singh: Mallikajaan's driver, Saima's lover * Pratibha Ranta as Shama: Waheeda's daughter *Anuj Sharma as Hamid Mohsin Ali *Ajay Dhansu as Rizwan *Mark Bennington as Samuel Henderson *Astha Mittal as Huma *Nasirr Khan as Choudhry *

Anju Mahendru Anju Mahendru (born 11 January 1946) is an Indian actress and former fashion designer. She is best known as Reeva in '' Kahiin to Hoga'', Kamini Gupta in '' Kasautii Zindagii Kay'' and Beeji in '' Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai''. Personal l ...

as Phoophi *Abhishek Deswal as Nawaz *

Ujjwal Chopra Ujjawal Chopra is an Indian actor who plays in films and television. He played the character of Gora Singh in Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sanjay Leela Bhansali (born 24 February 1963) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, editor an ...

as Ashfaq Baloch: Tajdar's father *Pankaj Bhatia as Feroze: Waheeda and Shama's patron

Episodes

Production

''Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar'' was officially announced in April 2021 as a long-gestating project conceived by

nearly 14 years earlier. The eight-episode series, marking Bhansali’s debut in the streaming space, commenced principal photography in June 2022. Filming concluded in June 2023, following reshoots requested by Bhansali in May of that year. According to ''

Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...

'', Bhansali directed the pilot episode, while the remaining episodes were helmed by Mitakshara Kumar—Bhansali’s former associate director on ''

Bajirao Mastani ''Bajirao Mastani'' is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language Epic film, epic historical film, historical tragedy film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who co-produced it with Eros International and composed its Bajirao Mastani (soundtrack), soundtrack ...

'' (2015) and ''

Padmaavat ''Padmaavat'' is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language historical drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Based on the epic poem of the same name by Malik Muhammad Jayasi, it stars Deepika Padukone as Rani Padmavati, a Sinhalese-born Rajput ...

'' (2018)—who replaced

Vibhu Puri Vibhu Virendra Puri (born 28 January 1980) is an Indian director, screenwriter and songwriter. After graduating from Film and Television Institute of India, FTII, he started assisting Sanjay Leela Bhansali and co-wrote two of his films; ''Saaw ...

, the initially appointed director. In a 2023 conversation with Netflix co-CEO

Ted Sarandos Theodore Anthony Sarandos Jr. (born July 30, 1964) is an American business executive who has been the co-chief executive officer of Netflix since 2020. Early life and education Sarandos was born on July 30, 1964, at Monmouth Medical Cente ...

, Bhansali described ''Heeramandi'' as his "biggest project," and cited ''

Mother India ''Mother India'' is a 1957 Indian epic drama film, directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar. A remake of Khan's earlier film '' Aurat'' (1940), it is the story of a poverty-stricken village wo ...

'' (1957), ''

Mughal-e-Azam ''Mughal-e-Azam'' () is a 1960 Indian Epic film, epic historical drama film produced and directed by K. Asif. Starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, it follows the love affair between Mughal Empire, Mughal Prince ...

'' (1960), and ''

Pakeezah Pakeezah (; ) is a 1972 Indian musical romantic drama written, directed, and produced by Kamal Amrohi. The film stars Meena Kumari as the eponymous lead, alongside Ashok Kumar and Raaj Kumar. It tells the story of Sahibjaan, a Lucknow-base ...

'' (1972) as key influences on the series’ tone and visual aesthetic. Costume designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula noted that the wardrobe for the series drew inspiration from the styles of vintage film personalities such as

Patience Cooper Patience Cooper (30 May 1905 – 5 April 1993) was an Anglo-Indian actress, and one of the early superstars of Bollywood. She was also known as ''The Siren of the Silent Era'', ''The Dancing Star'' and ''The Silent Screen Star'' during the sile ...

Suraiya Suraiya Jamal Sheikh (15 June 1929 – 31 January 2004), mononymously known as Suraiya, was an Indian actress and playback singer who worked in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the history of Indian c ...

, Swaran Lata,

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan (21 September 192623 December 2000) was a Pakistani playback singer and actress who worked in both British India and later in Pakistan's cinema of Pakistan, cinema. Her career lasted over six decades, during which she recorded 10,00 ...

Shamshad Begum Shamshad Begum (Urdu: شمشاد بیگم, IAST: ''Śamśād Bēgam''; 14 April 1919 – 23 April 2013) was an Indian singer who was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry. Notable for her distinctive voice and range, sh ...

, and Mukhtar Begum. In a separate interview with Lilly Singh, Bhansali revealed that he had initially hoped to cast Pakistani actors

Mahira Khan Mahira Hafeez Khan (; born 21 December 1984) is a Pakistani film and television actress. One of the most popular and highest-paid actresses of Pakistan, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mahira Khan, several ac ...

Fawad Khan Fawad Afzal Khan (born 29 November 1981) is a Pakistani actor, producer, screenwriter, songwriter and singer known for his work in films and television. Khan is a recipient of several accolades, including a Filmfare Award, two Lux Style Awards ...

, and

Imran Abbas Syed Imran Abbas Naqvi (born 15 October 1982) professionally known by his stage name Imran Abbas, is a Pakistani actor and model who works predominantly in Urdu television and films. Abbas made his acting debut with ''Umrao Jaan Ada'' in 20 ...

, but plans were shelved due to the prevailing ban on cross-border artistic collaborations between India and Pakistan.

Soundtrack

The first track from the soundtrack, "Sakal Ban," composed by

with lyrics attributed to

Amir Khusrau Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253 – 1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau, sometimes spelled as, Amir Khusrow or Amir Khusro, was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar, who lived during the period of the Delhi Sult ...

and vocals by

Raja Hasan Raja Hasan Sagar (born 25 December 1982) is an Indian playback singer from Bikaner, Rajasthan. He was a finalist on ''Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007'', in which he finished as runner-up to Aneek Dhar. He was a judge in the singing competition s ...

, was released on 8 March 2024. The second song, "Tilasmi Bahein," performed by Sharmistha Chatterjee, was released on 2 April 2024. The album also features traditional folk songs such as "Phool Gendwa Na Maaro" and "Nazariya Ki Maari," which had previously appeared in ''Dooj Ka Chand'' (1964) and ''

'' (1972), respectively. The complete soundtrack, released under the Bhansali Music label, became available on 24 April 2024. Each classical composition is choreographed to feature members of the principal cast, often as part of

mujra Mujra is a dance performance that emerged during Mughal rule in India, where the elite class and local rulers like the nawabs (often connected to the Mughal emperor's court) used to frequent tawaifs (courtesans) for entertainment. Background ...

performances. "Tilasmi Bahein" is performed by

, while "Phool Gendwa Na Maaro" and "Saiyaan Hatto Jaao" are picturized on

. "Chaudhavi Shab" features Sharmin Segal, "Nazariya Ki Maari" is performed by

, and "Masoom Dil Hai Mera" by

. The songs "Sakal Ban" and "Azadi" include appearances by most of the primary female cast.

Release

A teaser for the series was released in February 2024, with

announcing a planned release later that year. In March, it was confirmed that the series would premiere on 1 May 2024.

Reception

Viewership

During the week of 29 April to 5 May 2024, ''Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar'' ranked as the second most-watched non-English television series on

globally. The series garnered 4.5 million views and accumulated 33 million viewing hours during its debut week, setting a record for the highest viewership for an Indian series in its opening week on the platform. It topped Netflix charts in 10 countries and appeared in the top ten list in 43 countries worldwide.

Critical response

On the

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, 46% of 13 critic reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. Shilajit Mitra of ''The Hindu'' described the series as "stunning to behold," citing its expansive production values. Dhaval Roy of ''The Times of India'' noted that while the series "might feel like a long watch," its cinematic quality "will linger on long after its conclusion." Lachmi Deb Roy of ''

Firstpost Firstpost is an Indian news website owned by Network18 Group, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC TV18. It has posted misinformation on multiple occasions. The Network 18 group was originally owned by Raghav Bahl. In January 2012, the gro ...

'' awarded the series 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a treat to the eyes" and "a lesson of history."

Saibal Chatterjee Saibal Chatterjee is an Indian film critic, editor and documentary screenwriter. He was a columnist at ''BBC News'', ''Business Standard'', ''Hindustan Times'' and '' The Financial Express''. He has also written for ''The Telegraph'', ''The Tim ...

of ''

NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...

'' gave it 3 stars, commending

's thematic ambition and observing that, amid the show’s opulence, it promotes the subcontinent's syncretic cultural heritage—a theme he deemed particularly relevant in contemporary India.

Sukanya Verma Sukanya Verma is an Indian journalist and film critic. She has been the principal movie reviewer with web portal '' Rediff.com''. She has written a number of columns as a freelance writer for ''The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English ...

of ''

Rediff.com Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...

'' rated the series 3 out of 5, writing that it "mirrors Bhansali’s film-making’s finest and frustrating features," reflecting both artistic grandeur and narrative excess.

Shubhra Gupta Shubhra Gupta is an Indian film critic who writes for ''The Indian Express''. She received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Best Writing on Cinema in 2012. She was a member of the Central Board of Film Certification from 2012 to 2015. She is the au ...

of ''The Indian Express'' gave the show 2.5 stars, commenting that while Bhansali’s signature visual flair is evident, the story aims to portray the lives of courtesans who were once central to Indian popular culture. Classical dancer and founder of ''The Courtesan Project'', Manjari Chaturvedi, criticized the series for conflating tawaifs with prostitutes, arguing that it fails to accurately portray the educational and cultural significance of historical courtesans. She also expressed concern that the show neglects essential references to the authentic tawaif tradition.

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Sequel

Following the massive success of the series as it generated the highest viewership ever for any show by Netflix India, ''Heeramandi'' was renewed for a second season. A 'Season 2 Announcement' video was dropped on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

on 3rd June, 2024. However, the streaming date of the new season has not yet been informed.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heeramandi Indian drama television series Television shows set in the British Raj Hindi-language television shows Netflix television dramas Television shows set in India Television series set in the 1910s Television series set in the 1920s Television series set in the 1930s Television series set in the 1940s Television series set in 1945 Television shows set in Lahore Indian prostitution TV series Television series set in the Indian independence movement Partition of India in fiction Indian courtesans drama series Works about prostitution in India Indian musical television series 2020s Indian television series Indian romance television series Television shows filmed in India Urdu-language television shows Punjabi-language television shows 2024 Indian television series debuts Indian LGBTQ-related television shows Fictional portrayals of police departments in India Indian web series