Shekhar Kapur Reviews Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: ‘He Pulls You Into His World’

Amid high expectations, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar hit Netflix on May 1. Upon its release, the film garnered mixed responses from the audiences who were predominantly impressed by Bhansali’s latest art of work. Recently, Shekhar Kapur also binge-watched the series and shared his review on the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter). The filmmaker lauded Manisha Koirala for her ‘effective’ performance and termed Bhansali’s cinematic art ‘seductive’.

Heaping praises on the Padmavat director’s debut web series, Shekhar Kapur wrote, “Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s cinematic art is so seductive. He pulls you into his world and mesmerises you. His images stayed with me long after I binge watched the whole of #Heeramandi in one go.. and what an effective performance by Manisha Koirala. Finally Netflix is giving Indian filmmakers budgets they deserve.”

Meanwhile, Heeramandi is set against the backdrop of the pre-Independence era in the 1940s. It explores the cultural reality of a prominent red-light district through the lens of courtesans and nawabs. The series boasts a star-studded cast including Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, and Sharmin Segal.

It needs to be noted that Bhansali’s debut web series has also received criticism from a section of people who argued that it does not accurately represent 1940s Lahore. The show is also being called out for factual errors while depicting various events, locations, and costumes.

The flak received by the Netflix series prompted a reaction from its director. In a recent interview with Indie Wire, Bhansali said, “There are things in the characters that connect to people in my work. That is why they talk about it. A lot of people like it, a lot of people don’t like it. It’s a part of a give-and-take with an audience and filmmaker. I don’t mind being loved when they give me love, and I don’t mind being criticised when they don’t connect to my work.”

Interestingly, Heeramandi was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s passion project for the last 18 years.