Heeramandi, directed by the famed Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, had a lot riding on it. But unfortunately it fell quite flat.
Let's talk about the positives. The costumes, the sets, the cinematography and the overall visual aesthetic of the series is nothing short of brilliance. The attention to detail is mesmerizing to watch so much so that you'd wish to see it on the big screen. The performances are well delivered. Manisha Koirala gave a very compelling performance as the scheming Mallikajaan and so did Sonakshi Sinha as Fareedan/Rehana and Aditi Rao Hydari as Bibbojaan. These three ladies practically carried the series from starting to end. Taha Shah wasn't as strong as the others but still delivered a good performance as Tajdar. The songs were really melodious to hear as well.
That's where all the positives end. My main criticism is the narrative. For the first 6 episodes the story was going very smoothly and had me occupied but during the last two episodes I was like WTF happened. There was a sudden plot shift which completely deviated from what this series was all about. It shifted from telling a story about courtesans, revenge, love and betrayal to being a story about patriotism. Not to mention the ending felt very rushed and raised many questions. Another issue is the performance of Sharmin Segal as Alamzeb. Arguably the second most important character in the series, she completely lacked any charm or energy in her performance whatsoever and also had this look of boredom on her face from the moment her character is introduced to the very end of the show. There were certain moments where she should've given an extremely emotional performance but what she delivered was disappointing to say the least.
Overall, Sanjay Leela Bhansali gave his signature majestic flair to Heeramandi, and while the series is visually dazzling along with some great performances from the ensemble cast, it crumbles down due to the sudden plot shift at the end and some choices made with the characters which were kinda questionable.
Let's talk about the positives. The costumes, the sets, the cinematography and the overall visual aesthetic of the series is nothing short of brilliance. The attention to detail is mesmerizing to watch so much so that you'd wish to see it on the big screen. The performances are well delivered. Manisha Koirala gave a very compelling performance as the scheming Mallikajaan and so did Sonakshi Sinha as Fareedan/Rehana and Aditi Rao Hydari as Bibbojaan. These three ladies practically carried the series from starting to end. Taha Shah wasn't as strong as the others but still delivered a good performance as Tajdar. The songs were really melodious to hear as well.
That's where all the positives end. My main criticism is the narrative. For the first 6 episodes the story was going very smoothly and had me occupied but during the last two episodes I was like WTF happened. There was a sudden plot shift which completely deviated from what this series was all about. It shifted from telling a story about courtesans, revenge, love and betrayal to being a story about patriotism. Not to mention the ending felt very rushed and raised many questions. Another issue is the performance of Sharmin Segal as Alamzeb. Arguably the second most important character in the series, she completely lacked any charm or energy in her performance whatsoever and also had this look of boredom on her face from the moment her character is introduced to the very end of the show. There were certain moments where she should've given an extremely emotional performance but what she delivered was disappointing to say the least.
Overall, Sanjay Leela Bhansali gave his signature majestic flair to Heeramandi, and while the series is visually dazzling along with some great performances from the ensemble cast, it crumbles down due to the sudden plot shift at the end and some choices made with the characters which were kinda questionable.
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