A place with no judgments over what she wears, her work, and no bann over her rebellious thoughts! Huh, is that even possible? Well if it’s the Bhansali’s world- then absolutely! Be it Chandramuki from Devdas, Gangu from Gangubai Kathiawadi, or the recent release of – Heeramandi, he never fails to show his love and obsession over tawaif (courtesan) falling in love and then failing badly.
Showcasing the life of tawaif back then in the pre-colonial period, Bhansali tried giving the series a tint of love, poetry, and revenge. One thing that made the audience’s eye throughout the series is giving the same heroic attitude besides having feminine energy in each of their characters.
In the era when women were always looked down upon, Bhansali tried bringing forth the importance of tawaif in Nawab’s life. Then the heavy accessories paired with colorful vibrant clothes made the situation even more relevant to those times. More importantly, the series tried reshaping the idea of a fancy brothel that each one of us generally has, here heeramandi isn’t just limited to fancy courtesan, dance, and romance but is showcased as a melting pot of arts and culture but also a place where the elite went to learn etiquettes. These spaces served as a school for polishing nawab behavior, and Bhansali’s Heeramandi captures these women’s social reality and emotional turmoil. And how prostitution is a part of each of our heritage.
Apart from showcasing art and culture, the series also parallelly showed the actual nature of Heeramandi- ‘REVENGE’. The main protagonist Mallika Jaan (Manisha Koirala) the “aapa” of Shahi Mahal, how manages to kill her elder sister to own the Shahi Mahal, and also sells her niece. The story revolves around how her niece comes back to Heermandi with the only intention of taking back her Shahi Mahal. And tries taking not only the mahal but also the only way of royal living for tawaifs – The Nawabs.
While the series had its share of hits and misses compared to other Bhansali productions, it’s undeniable that it showcased powerful female characters unlike any other. In a Bollywood landscape where female-centric films are not uncommon, this series stands out for its portrayal of women’s strength, leaving the Britishers feeling insecure about the power they wield.
