Heera Mandi the red light area of Lahore is named after Heera Singh a favorite of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh the legendary Sikh ruler of the Punjab from 1800 to 1839. This historical bazaar is steeped in mystique, romance, horror and controversy. This area has been the subject of novels, movies and articles over the last two centuries of its existence. The latest addition to the depiction of Heera Mandi is the Netflix series by the renowned Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
This series is now facing a barrage of criticism and negative reviews from film critics and literary personalities on both sides of the border especially from the resident intellectuals of Lahore conversant with the history culture and traditions of Heera Mandi. Most critics of the series are annoyed at the misrepresentation and the historical inaccuracies of the documentary. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known and acclaimed for great historical movies such as Baji Rao Mastani, Paadmavati, Sacchrine, and a few more that earned him accolades and placed him on a very high pedestal in the Indian movie world but his latest venture has placed him at the receiving end of savage and bitter criticism regarding the depiction of historical facts, language, traditions and style of living in the historical Heera Mandi.
The latest production of Heera Mandi is a very personal and private project of the famed Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He wrote the script, directed it, produced it and even wrote the musical score for this series. The drama is set in the Heera Mandi during the 1940s. It deals with the life and struggles of the Tawaifs of Heera Mandi. The nautch girls of the area trying to make a place for themselves in the social and political circles of the country.
It covers the freedom movement and the role of the dancing girls in this movement. It depicts the patriotism and nationalistic fervor of the Tawaifs when marching through the streets of Lahore demanding freedom from the British colonial masters of the time there is no historical record of any such activities by the tawaifs of Hera Mandi.
The depiction of historical accuracies leaves a lot to be desired because Lahore of the 1940s was in no way similar to the famed tawaif cultue of Luckhnow depicted in movies like Umrao Jan Ada. His characters do not speak the language of Lahore and his tawaifs are elegantly and gorgeously attired and his maids do not speak proper Punjabi.Heeramandi features a stellar star cast. This includes Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Sanjeeda Shaikh. The series also features Fardeen Khan, Adhyayan Suman and Shekhar Suman in pivotal roles. Historically Heeramandi was a place that educated people in the artistic prowess dance music and singing and the women of Heeramandi were steeped in the craft of dance and music. The women of the area were free to make their own choices and it was only after the British conquest of the Punjab in 1949 that Heeramandi became a place for sex workers or prostitutes to operate freely prior to this people came here mostly to appreciate and learn the power of dance music and poetry. The women of Heeramandi were known as the queens of Lahore were the guardians of refined manners elegance and propriety. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has done a brilliant job in casting and direction of Heeramandi. Manisha Koirala is depicted as the Huzoor or Madam of Shahi Mahal who lives and will die for the women of Heeramandi. She is superb in her role being fierce, unforgiving and relentless. Aditi Rao Hydari as Bibojan or Mallika Jan’s daughter is shown really passionate about the freedom movement and this qualifies her to be the real heroine of this drama.
Alamzeb is another real life like character who has dreams of achieving fame as a poet and to break the shackles of slavery as a tawaif in Heeramandi falls in love with the nawabTajdarit is a love story dramatic but her reading of Urdu verses leaves a lot to be desired. There is mention of Ghalib in the series but feminist writers like Amrita Pritam and Ismat Chughtai who championed the cause of marginalized women are totally ignored. We also see Fareedan daughter of Rehana in full cry all out to avenge her mother’s death destroy malika and take control of Shahi Mahal. Her well-acted role showing her thirst for power light up the screen and add flavor to the story.
The renowned Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who created and directed the widely anticipated Hindi-language series which premiered on Netflix on May 1, says he wanted to reimagine the world of the real-life courtesans of the walled city of Lahore, now situated in modern-day Pakistan. Bhansali calls them the “unsung heroes” in India’s struggle for independence from British colonial rule in the mid-1900s. “These women were always looked upon as entertainers and seen with their diamond necklaces, but their eyes have a story to tell,” he tells TIME. These remarks by Bhansali are rather controversial and many have criticized such remarks because there is no evidence of any sort that the residents of Heeramandi took any part in the freedom movement.
A long-celebrated auteur of Indian cinema, Bhansali, 61, has brought grandeur and opulence to the medium for more than three decades with films like Devdas, which premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, and the more recent 2022 blockbuster Gangubai, which starred Alia Bhatt and took the audience into the world of Mumbai’s historic red light district. In many of his works, the female protagonists have the most integral roles, demanding attention and agency in their lives while laying bare their anxieties and imperfections.
“I want to give dignity to women, which sometimes is taken for granted in our society,” says Bhansali. The fact of the matter is that the raw oppression cruelty and greed of the time has not been shown and the Madams of Heeramandi have been overly glamorized. While trying to entwine real history in the story.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
Email: tariq.aqil@headstart.edu.pk
