Heeramandi And It's 14-year Long Disappointment

It seems that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has made a personal history for giving me hope and promptly taking it away a new habit. 

My relationship with this show though not as tumultuous as the creator's, is one that lasted somewhere upto the two years. I wasn't a super fan of Bhansali's by any means but when I heard that he was producing a project featuring prominent actresses set in an older India, I was excited. It was at a time where only a few hindi movies peaked by interest and ones that did weren't mainstream, mass-produced, industry blockbusters. So, naturally, I was excited for a possible return to good film making and a decent plot. Bhansali was and is in my opinion a romantic. He sees only the love and beauty in his stories which leads to an inherently cheesy and rose-colored depiction in his period films. But still one could admit that they were flawed with still enjoying them for the grand spectacle they were. A cinematic and glamorized version with the dramatics of a serial for the audience to enjoy.

Perhaps I should have learned from my experience with the Archie's and lowered my expectations but alas I remained hopeful even in learning it was actually a mini series. Strange, but okay. Maybe this time, the story needed that format to do it justice. I have my own qualms about the 8-episode structure that streaming companies have shifted to over the years but I could see this working in the shows favor.

Then it is revealed that the show is about the lives of the tawaifs (courtesans) of Heeramandi during the struggle for independence. Here my doubts start to creep in. Whether this was truly a good idea. I had no doubt that if Bhansali truly was set on discussing the plights of tawaifs, he could do so. He had already proved that in his previous works, Devdas being a good example. He also certainly wouldn't be the first with many directors making movies about tawaifs. My worry was that he would sensationalize it and perhaps even take it as another chance to knowingly and unknowingly make a caricature of certain groups of people or certain movements. He has gotten into trouble for that, and as a viewer it leaves a bad taste. 

Now, on the matter of incorrect representation or stereotypes I have no ground to speak as that does not pertain to my area of expertise and it would just be a useless attempt to try when others could word it better and with certainty. 

So, I'll just say what I thought after all of this and having watched the show and taking some time to let it stew.

It was boring. 

I was bored.

I wish I could succinctly go through all the problems I had with it but honestly it's biggest flaw is that for all it's glitz and glamour, the inside is just dull and bleh, for a lack of a better word. 

Speaking of glitz and glamour, why was the show so yellow and dull? Yes, gold is a color of opulence and wealth but everything looked so dull and ugly at certain points when the color palette was just varying shades of dusty yellow. The way I rejoiced during a few dance sequences with the presence of other colors besides that yellow was just sad. Sure, the cinematography was interesting but after a while looking at pretty things doesn't hide the fact that everything else is surface level and shallow. 

The show just felt like a weak attempt at social justice and trying to focus on the sad reality of tawaifs during the British rule. It never really dives deep into the relationships these women have with each other, their traumas, their upbringing or gives them any actual characterization. They didn't really have any motivations and if they did, the reason was not explained or even implied. Even the more interesting characters were not written consistently and felt more like plot devices towards the end. Which is a shame because for the most part, the main cast (with an exception or two) was really talented and did good but the plot just was not up to par. A Hindi serial could probably do this story better albeit, with the extended dramatics and an additional 500 episodes. The inclusion of the independence struggle was confusing to me because you could still tell the story without it, being set years before that event. It was added and I didn't feel like it added much even though the show seemed to think so. I got what Bhansali was trying to do, because it was obvious, not because he succeeded. Also, the romance plot-line was just not good, which offended me but is not even relevant because it doesn't really end well either so...do with that what you will.

Overall, it did not feel worthy of it's 8 episode format, the songs were okay (I only enjoyed two of them), the acting was solid and the plot was semi-average. Definitely not my favourite work of Sanjay Leela Bhansali by far. It's a shame because this really seemed like a passion project from 14 years ago but it just doesn't hold up. I feel bad for him because for 14 years, this really doesn't feel like the result of all that work. But then I remember he's a producer, owns his own production company and probably will profit of off this despite any bad reviews and suddenly, I don't feel so bad. 

Suddenly, I'm just disappointed. Not to mention the hours I wasted on watching this when I could've been doing nothing elsewhere.

🐄