Sanjay Leela Bhansali debuts on the OTT platform with Heeramandi, with a star-studded cast. The story of Heeramandi is based on the history of Shahi Mohalla in Lahore, Pakistan, which is now a red-light area in the night and a bustling food street in the daylight. Though the series had all the hallmarks of a Bollywood extravaganza, it lacked historical accuracy, research, and authenticity. The portrayal of courtesans was formulaic and failed to offer any new perspective.
Heeramandi has a rich history that stretches back to the Mughal era and continues into modern Pakistan. The aesthetics and architectural designs of the real Heeramandi are not included in the set. Although the plot takes place in 1940s Lahore, the production crew took the liberty of adding a larger-than-life touch, as one might expect from the Sanjay Leela Bhansali production company.
However, the set design stuck to the Mughal era of Agra. The balcony where the courtesans performed and the view of the Shahi Qila-Grand Mosque—which went unnoticed—were the most significant features of the genuine Heeramandi. Instead, the audience was treated to a magnificent Shahi Mahal, akin to a Mughal palace. The programme will, for once, leave a spectator perplexed as to whether it is about Mughal queens or courtesans.
Despite the fact that the plot takes place in Greater Punjab, the characters' accents throughout the series lacked a Punjabi or Lahori touch—a unique dialect that does not possess the same inflexion as Urdu. The characters in Heeramandi spoke Urdu in a Bollywood-esque Delhi manner with no hint of the Lahore dialect, except Phatto and Iqbal, who were portrayed by Jayati Bhatia and Rajat Kaul, respectively. While it is difficult to discern which dialect these actors are speaking to an audience that is not Punjabi, viewers of Pakistani television shows and films will be able to distinguish between the actors' pronunciation of words, phonetic sounds, and inotations compared to Majha.
According to history, since the story was set in Lahore in the 1940s, the people spoke Majha (Punjabi dialect) during pre-independence India in Lahore, and they still speak it. Many Lahoris and historians have expressed their displeasure about the language being inaccurate and misrepresented on screen. Some of the Urdu speakers have also pointed out the mispronunciation of certain Urdu words, such as “niqqah” and "khana.”. The comparison between Rekha’s pronunciation in Umraojaan and the cast of Heeramandi has sparked a discussion on fan forums, where the veteran actor’s pronunciation is applauded whereas the latter’s is cringed upon.
The main focus of the linguistic diaspora was on the lead actors, so many might have noticed a slip of the tongue by Jason Shah, who plays the character Cartwright, in the eighth episode where Cartwright lies to Nawab Baloch about the death of his son, and the dialogue gets a whiff of the Bihari pronunciation of the word 'paisa'. Although Sanjay Leela Bhansali has a reputation for scrutinising performers until they reach perfection, it is extremely disheartening to witness his lack of indulgence in pressing the Heeramandi actors to improve their diction. He has also ignored the fact that language is not simply a representation of a particular community or a simple means used for conversation, it is the sole carrier of the history and origins of a race and ethnicity. It narrates the story of history that has been lost.
Moving ahead to talk about the tawaif (courtesans) who, in the narrative, were badly depicted. The characters, particularly Manisha Koirala's Mallikajaan and Sanjeeda Sheikh's Waheeda, had several layers, but there was a notable absence of the art, music, and culture that were often associated with the tawaif community. The royals used to send their sons to study culture, art, and manners. The courtesan's house served as a centre of the arts, where young adults were taught music and dance by musicians known as Ustaad, while young girls and transgender people studied Kathak and Mujra.
No poets, statesmen, or philosophers were depicted in the court, where they were supposed to convene and exchange ideas about their art. The Heeramand series' tawaifs resembled bar dancers from the Mughal Empire, who would stop dancing if a noble wasn't there. The screenplay was completely devoid of women with higher educations. The sole activities on the show were ladies attempting to woo wealthy guys and playing little games amongst themselves.
The decline of Heeramandi's courtesans had already begun, although Lahore had been taken over by the British in March 1849 and the final vestige of the tradition was in shambles due to Aurangazeb, the last Mughal emperor, who detested ladies who danced and sang. Before the British took control, the Shahi Mohalla was well-known for its grain market during the Sikh era. However, this market gradually turned into a brothel. Therefore, if the narrative were to follow the path of correct history, Heeramandi would have had very few courtesans and very little authority. Historians have taken offence at historical occurrences that are not accurate and at the mutilation of reality with fiction.
As noted by a Pakistani historian, the ladies of Heeramandi were permitted to marry in the 1850s, therefore they did so. The freedom Sanjay Leela Bhansali sought in the made-up tale was presented to him on a platter, but it doesn't appear that he found much solace in the freedom of thousands of females to live their lives as they see fit. Rather than depending on the clichéd storyline of the courtesans and their race, I contend that Bhansali might have provided viewers with a fresh point of view
The music and styling were pretty much spot-on compared to the main factors. The earthy tone, vintage patterns, and traditional embroidery added to the aesthetic of the screen. Although it was an extravagant show, it was easy on the eyes because it wasn’t loud and the music had a subtle feminine eloquence. The show set the internet abuzz, leading to much research and learning about Heeramandi, Lahore, and the pre-independence era. Many did so out of spite, the other half as a counterargument, but in the end, Heeramandi: The Diamond Market served its purpose.
The purpose of art is to enlighten the public and pique their curiosity about particular imagined narratives. Heeramandi: The diamond market is a made-up tale about a genuine place with no historical significance to the actual historical events that took place. It doesn't have to be evaluated in light of reality; it may be appreciated for entertainment purposes.