Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut streaming series, Netflix’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, is a pinnacle of his maximalist filmmaking style. The biggest Indian original that Netflix has ever produced, the show is set in pre-Independence Lahore, in the world of courtesans and noblemen who lived in the real-life district of Hira Mandi. The area, which is situated next to the Badshahi Mosque, was a cultural hub in the years leading up to Independence, but has now been transformed beyond recognition.
A new BBC report featured a lifelong local resident offering insight into the neighbourhood’s evolution over the years. “Hira Mandi has witnessed many phases. It used to be different during the Mughal era, it transformed during the Sikh period, and then it changed again during the English occupation. And after the Partition, it transformed yet again. The government has now turned Hira Mandi into a food street. The women who used to live here moved out, and their families live in various parts of Lahore. The bazaar was shut down in 1990, after which all the women who lived here left,” said resident Ibrar Hussain.
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He highlighted several different areas of modern day Hiramandi, noting the narrow streets and the dilapidated facades of the old houses, which have mostly been rebuilt into unremarkable ‘plazas’ after a government crackdown on prostitution. But a handful of old houses still stand, albeit in very poor condition. He continued, “The huge sets shown in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi have nothing in common with the ground reality here. These houses were the ‘kothas’, they had elaborate interiors, but it wasn’t a grand place. The women would stand on ‘jharokhas’ and wait for their clients. They would climb up the stairs and watch them perform. But the state that these houses are in now is the same state that those women are in as well. Those old houses have mostly been destroyed…”
He added, “The reality is that these houses never actually belonged to the ‘tawaifs’; they belong to their elders, or to their brothers. These men would never grant ‘tawaifs’ ownership of the properties because if they got married, the property would go along with them. The ‘tawaifs’ would be in a bad condition in their old age.” Hira Mandi, he said, wasn’t just a spot for young ‘nawabs’ to learn etiquette from ‘tawaifs’, but was a cultural hub of sorts, where food, music, and entertainment would all come together. Hira Mandi today is home to some of Lahore’s most popular eateries, such as Phajja Siri Paaye, and Arif Chatkara.
Ibrar revealed that the real Hira Mandi also had ties to the film industry of Pakistan, and housed everyone from the actor Nur Jahan to singers Fateh Ali Khan and Amanat Ali Khan. “Several popular singers and actresses used to live here,” he said. While Bhansali’s show ends before the partition, a character named Saima leaves the ‘kotha’ and becomes a popular singer in Kolkata. Otherwise, the show presents a grand, opulent idea of Hira Mandi, where ‘tawaifs’ dressed like queens would perform exclusive for the rich and reputable in large courtyards and massive halls. Starring Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Sharmin Segal, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh and others, the show debuted on Netflix on May 1.
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