Everything but Heeramandi: Internet slams Bhansali’s take on Lahore’s historic red light district

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's latest offering, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar streaming on Netflix, has stirred a storm of reactions among Pakistanis on the internet. Despite high anticipation, many viewers were left disappointed, particularly by what they perceive as glaring inaccuracies in historical depiction and Urdu pronunciation.

Boasting a stellar cast, featuring the likes of Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, and Sharmin Segal, the series raised expectations for a visual feast of talent and grace on-screen. Bhansali expressed his eagerness for audiences worldwide to immerse themselves in the magnificence of Heeramandi on Netflix, marking his first collaboration with the OTT giant. However, scores on this side of the border have flocked to the microblogging platform X, formerly Twitter, to express their discontent. 

One disgruntled viewer remarked, “Just watched Heeramandi. Found everything but Heeramandi in it. I mean either you don’t set your story in 1940s Lahore, or if you do- you don’t set it in Agra’s landscape, Delhi’s Urdu, Lakhnavi dresses and 1840’s vibe. My not-so-sorry Lahori self can’t really let it go.”

Another critique honed in on linguistic errors, stating, “All of Heeramandi's factual/historical blunders (call it artistic license, if you like) aside, Urdu alphabet ت is pronounced 'tay' and NOT 'tou'.” Even the lavish production budget and extensive crew didn't shield Bhansali from criticism. “For a limited series produced on a lavish budget, with a crew of over 100 people, Bhansali could've done better in Urdu diction,” the post continued while another exclaimed, “Omg, the Urdu accent is so bad in Heeramandi like they aren’t even trying!”

However, some viewers couldn't help but find humour in the situation. “Heeramandi is actually a comedy show. If you know Urdu, you’ll be deadass laughing every minute,” quipped one commenter. The genre of historical fiction has long enjoyed its liberties with anachronisms but rising criticism of Bhansali’s recent raises an all-too-important question: Is good art more generously excused for its missteps? As per one X user, this is certainly the case.

 “I think people wouldn't mind SLB playing with historical details if the story was good...a bad show or movie will always lead people to tear it apart...alright, he made Heeramandi into his own version of Aaina Mahal...Dude could have at least taught his actors Urdu,” a post contended.

Others raised concerns about attention to detail, with one critic pointing out, “Did they seriously try to use the broken spelling software that separates each letter like they do in English to print out the name of the newspaper in Heeramandi?”

The newspaper prop spawned a hatebase of its own with one disparager saying, “What in the gibberish is the name of that newspaper? In case you want to see what an actual Urdu newspaper from Lahore in that era looked like, see Zamindar (tweet below) - Please hire researchers/ PhD students - You can get a team for the same sum as a tent.”

Calls for more thorough research were prevalent. “Before you decide to watch Heeramandi, just know that if you are easily irked out by historical inaccuracy and flawed Urdu and Punjabi, then don’t watch it. Otherwise, it's a good 'I'll watch anything with good visuals' kinda series,” advised another viewer.

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