Bhansali’s Heeramandi is all glitter, but where’s the gold?
Any project by Sanjay Leela Bhansali transports you into a world of larger-than-life depiction of simpler tales. Take a simple love story like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, the classic Devdas, a modern-day Romeo Juliet i.e. Goliyon Ki Rasleela - Ram Leela or Gangubai Kathiawadi — every film by Bhansali is a magnum opus and visual treat for his audience.
There was a time in 80s and 90s when Yash Chopra used to shoot his films internationally to showcase international locations. Back then audiences would enjoy those especially with the Indians’ over-awed vision of ‘visdesh.’ Today, Bhansali is one of such filmmakers who extensively invest in shooting films that make audience become extremely awestruck.
In his latest web series titled Heeramandi (HM), he follows the same pattern and viewers cannot help but draw parallels between his new venture released on Netflix and his previous works such as Devdas and Gangubai etc. The eight episodic web series features Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal, Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Adhyayan Suman, Taha Shah, Indresh Malik and Farida Jalal in pivotal characters.
Just like any other Bhansali movie, the series is loaded with grandest sets, production design can easily woo those who have a thing or even an iota of thing for such sets — irrespective of the authenticity, actuality and real depiction.
All these sets, mostly, give an impression that those courtesans were richer than the Nawabs of Lahore. Their lavish homes are always lit; the kitchen of these brothels can easily cook meal for an army, if not any less. It is a tad hard to digest the luxuries courtesans enjoyed in Bhansali’s cinematic world.
No one can dis the fact that Bhansali’s female leads wear the heaviest and aesthetically beautiful outfits. Sharaaras, gharaaras and sarees which every female character is shown wearing are all amazingly designed. But the question is, did they actually wear these outfits back then? As if everyone was walking out of their personal vanity with dozens of helpers dolling them up. Visually stunning but unreal. But then, Bhansali is mostly about visuals and grand sets, right?
What happens when you take a seasoned actor onboard who cannot deliver a memorable and impactful performance? You are disappointed not by the actor, but by the director and the writer. This is exactly the case with Manisha Koirala.
She looks helpless with the kind of dialogue she was given. Lengthy dialogues that don’t make any sense and sound so lethargic that they diminish her performance. Manisha a brilliant actress, has a track of impressing her audience from A Love Story to Agni Sakshi, Akele Hum Akele Tum and from Dil Se to Lajja. Watching her in a character that is the centre of the plot, and the actor unable to make a powerful impact is disappointing for those who know her potential.
Sonakshi Sinha is another actor who despite getting a meatier character could not register her mark. For an actor like Sonakshi, the characters of Rehana and Fareedan are tough candies to crack. She fails to make a lasting impact with her portrayal of these characters and at many times it feels like she is not performing the character from the era the show depicted. The character of Fareedan was very strong that Sonakshi couldn’t do the justice with, even with the Rs 2 crores she is rumoured to have charged for it. Alternatively, some feel that the way the film was dished out, Sonakshi carries the entire series on her shoulders, going up several notches to show her acting skills. How can anyone forget those venomous pouty lips, and those deceptive eyes as Fareedan navigates her wicked self through the breezy verandahs in this tale of the courtesans.
Sharmin Saigal is the ultimate disappointment of the entire series — she perhaps didn’t understand the psyche, character, thought processing and nuances of Alamzeb. She relied more on her dresses and makeup rather than her expressions and talent. Anyone who has kept a track of Bhansali’s productions, would wonder right to the end what on earth made Bhansali cast her in such a pivotal character. She had the same mannequin type face in happy, romantic, frightening, and shocking moments. Maybe it was her consistency that impressed Bhansali.
Aditi Rao Hydari is also a fine actor but she cannot make her mark in Bhansali’s series. She looks very disinterested, besides bad diction her performance fails to create an impact. Ditto for Richa Chadha, she has done some amazing characters but as Lajjo, she disappoints. Perhaps her character isn’t very nicely written. She comes in and goes out of the episodes without adding any lustre.
Sanjeeda Shaikh performs her part well, in fact the only actor who might have been a little better than the others. Hers is not a wow-some performance but she stands out from the rest of the cast, delivering her hatred and helplessness and character with complete justice.
Male lead of Heeramandi is the weakest, and one thinks why and how a director like Sanjay Leela Bhansali could even in his wildest dream feature non-actors like Shekhar Suman, who has nothing prominent in his career other than Movers and Shekhars, Fardeen Khan — name one person who wanted his comeback, and Taha Shah, a boy trying to look like Fawad Khan and act like Shahrukh Khan — and miserably failing at both.
Urdu is amongst the most refined languages around the world but if someone tries to butcher it, like seriously, then they are in for some serious trouble – Bhansali is guilty of handpicking actors for the characters that speak Urdu, but incorrectly. That’s one of the biggest turnoffs in the series. If you decide to make a period drama around the Urdu- speaking people, you should ideally appoint someone who can correct the diction and suggest correct words that can be or replace them with words spoken in those days. Audience have seen many films where the key essence is the usage of the terms, dialects and diction but all this is not considered for Bhansali’s latest venture. Not only Urdu, Punjabi language goes through the same treatment. There are scenes which are very intense, at least a few of them, but they look ineffective because of the poor and incorrect usage of Urdu and its diction.
Pronunciation of many words has been wrong. The easiest Sanjay Leela Bhabsali and his team could have done was accessed any Pakistani channels’ dramas or programmes on YouTube.
The story of Heeramandi is written on a paper-thin plot, it fails to create any connect with any of the characters featured in the series. From the first scene to the last, it is a dragged show proceeding at snail speed. It would have been a major plus if Bhansali could have researched a bit, either on Google or through his team to get the facts rights — as they come across as shallow and amateurish.
The character of Manisha Koirala is vague and does not justify her misdoing. Similarly, the tussle between Sonakshi Sinha and Manisha doesn’t really go down well. It gets a little complicated as to what Heeramandi is about! The writing is twisted, unclear and confusing that it just ends up making the audience yawn with fatigue. You can easily see your interest waning in the story before it even engages the audience. The super-slow treatment without offering any scene that stays with the audience spoils the show in totality.
For a period drama music plays an integral part, just like other departments, but music of this new web series is a forgetful affair. After completing the series that is eight-hours-plus long, you will hardly find any song living in your mind rent-free. It was least expected from a director who gave blockbusters that offered great music.
One of the weakest aspects of the series is its direction; dragged out, uneven, and not engaging enough. It feels like the scenes are stretched for no good reason. There is no justification found, since most of the scenes don’t add any value, they are just there. At places the story gets a little fast paced but that’s just it, in the second realisation you are trapped into the slow-moving narrative. A few scenes which looked far from reality include the riot outside the library, the courtroom scene, and a few intense scenes featuring Richa Chadha. These aren’t just all, there are many like these – half-cooked scenes which come across as though they have been directed with least interest.
On the whole, Heeramandi is one of the weakest series that is lethargically written by writers and dully performed by actors. It is a stretched affair that offers no entertainment but visually it is a magnum opus. There are many offs in the series, for instance the cast of the show is not relevant, those who have watched Begum Jaan directed by Srijit Mukherji featuring Vidya Balan in the titular character will understand how such characters are pulled off. Cinematic exposure to works like Bol, Pakeezah, Umrao Jan Ada, and Anarkali is necessary to find the sweet-spot in narrating a tale.
Shafiq Ul Hasan Siddiqui is an avid movie buff, and film and drama critic and a digital inbound marketer. He tweets @shafiqulhasan81
All information and facts are the responsibility of the writer