Heeramandi: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Grand Saga Resurrects Forgotten Legacy of Powerful Courtesans

The legend of the elegant courtesans (tawaif) and dancing girls of Heeramandi in Lahore. This is a subject that has long fascinated filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Nurturing the idea for 14 years, it finally comes to life in his evocative and grand epic saga, 'Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar', which also marks his digital debut on Netflix.

The year 1942 as pre-Independent India burned with the fervour of rebellion and sought its independence, the gilded courts of Shahi Mahal were seeing a revolt of another. Bhansali focuses his lens on the shifting dynamics between feisty courtesans who could dance their way into hearts but also were powerful figures when it came to the political and social discourse.

Starring Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Sharmin Segal, the actors say in unison that it was perhaps the first time that they got to play the characters they had.

Having worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in his directorial debut Khamoshi in 1996, Manisha Koirala makes her return to the Bhansali set 28 years later. Playing the sly and calculating Mallikajaan, who rules over Shahi Mahal. The actor says from playing the naive yet determined Annie of Khamoshi to the shrewd Mallikajaan of Heeramandi, it has been the opportunity of a lifetime." Sanjay gives life and dignity to people who are looked down upon by society, He understands their trauma and humanises them. My character has been through her fair share of heartbreaks and disappointments and turned into this power-obsessed vindictive woman, who is a control freak. As an actor, I had never done anything like this before, because I had so many layers to unravel to understand this woman who even though has a cunning exterior is also very vulnerable. So, how do you bring out that dichotomy?

Taking on Mallikajaan in her lust for power is Sonakshi Sinha's Fareedan. A woman driven by revenge she brazenly sets out to destroy Mallika and what she holds dear, power. The intense rivalry between the two characters is what forms the core of the show. " When you have such a brilliant co-star like Manisha Ji you are not only motivated to do your best to match up, but also with her, it was so encouraging to just see her. I learnt the power one gets by transforming into your character on screen by watching her."

Applauding Sonakshi's screen presence Manisha says, "Though you see the animosity and hatred on screen between our characters, what worked for all of us off-screen was the feeling of sisterhood and the understanding to bring out the best in each there was remarkable on set".

Sonakshi admits in her decade-long career no filmmaker had ever given her a character like Fareedan, " all those who saw the song and the trailer did a double take, saying this cannot be you. For me the response was unreal and this is the validation you seek as an actor when a filmmaker pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you unlearn everything you have learned before, says Sonakshi Sinha. She further adds the OTT space has liberated actors and creators to explore new territories in terms of stories, genres and characters.

"We would have never got to play characters like this in film, but it is all dictated by the box office and how you are perceived. But, here we have no such constraints, as writers are going all out with their imagination and giving us well-etched characters who are not cardboard cutouts. We had these characters before, but now they are pulling in an audience."

Aditi Rao Hydari who plays Bibbojaan, the delicate courtesan who showcases her indomitable strength of character shouldering the freedom movement says it is liberating when female actors are allowed to break out of the cardboard cut-out roles they are usually envisioned. "People chose to define women as oh she is so delicate, so vulnerable. But vulnerability can also be a strength. In my personal space, it is my greatest strength. The fact that I can look you in the eye and say what I feel and stand up for my beliefs, I wild it in my way, for that I do not need to scream, shout or confront but can stand solid.

This is what my character is and it was Sanjay Sir who told me this was the character had planned for me, and the layering is so beautiful because she is courage under fire. These courtesans had a lot of agency and influence, given their proximity to the Nawabs and senior officials, they were no damsels in distress".

It is perhaps actor Richa Chadha who is the biggest surprise in terms of her character. Known to have popularised the spunky and sassy Bholi Punjaaban of Fukrey, Richa plays Lajjo, a lovelorn and alcohol-obsessed courtesan. The actor confesses to reading up and watching the life and times of tragedy queen Meena Kumari to understand Lajjo's path to self-destruction.

"I have done such rowdy parts before if you watch Ganga of Wasseypurt etc, chasing and beating men, and here I am a woman who can destroy herself for a man. I did the academic prep for it. I knew I was there for some time and had to leave an impact. I tried different dialects, and voices and read up on Meena Kumari, there was so much grief in her personal life. I didn't use her as an actor but her personal life and trajectory to understand Lajjo who was on the path to ruin herself for love. So if you see there is pain and rawness to my voice in this."

TV actor Sanjeeda Sheikh plays Waheeda, Mallikajaan's temperamental younger sister, who has constantly lived under her shadow. The actor has been used to playing the same character over and over again for months at length in the TV shows she starred in, she finally got to perform a complicated character like Waheeda.

"She is an unhinged woman, everything in her life is either black or white. But, I felt sorry for her, because she has an arc and has many reasons to be the way she is. She is unpredictable even in the most predictable situations. Bhansali Sir told me she is soft to look at but has a raging fire in her, that was my cue."

Sanjay Leela Bansal's niece Sharmin Segal who made her debut in Malang in 2018 plays Alamzeb. The quite introverted daughter of Mallikajaan does not want to be part of Shahi Mahal's legacy.

"Sanjay Sir makes his characters do many weird things, and that's where you deep dive into your abilities as an actor. The first rule of thumb is never to judge your character, but you wonder why is this person doing such random things. But that's where the challenge is to justly it as an actor to the audience."

The cultural impact of courtesans has often been overlooked or ignored in. Though they were seen as women of desire, but were also extremely independent women, paying the highest taxes. These highly skilled ladies were masters of etiquette, well-versed in the performing arts, wrote poetry and were patronised by the elite for their vast knowledge.

That apart they also were the patrons of high fashion, from fine fabrics to innovative styling and ornate jewellery,their impact on fashion is being keenly studied Though Bollywood immortalised the beautiful and graceful courtesans doomed to a life of love and longing in epics such as Mughl-e-Azam, Pakeezah, and Umrao Jaan, the courtesan or tawaif soon became synonymous with terms such as kothewali, sex worker in pop culture narratives such as Mandi, Chandini Bar.

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is a grand spectacle which pays tribute to the legacy of these accomplished women, who have been long forgotten and erased from the pages of history.