At the launch of the trailer for Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, which Netflix has billed as "India's biggest cinematic series", the international streaming giant pulled out all the stops to promote one of 2024's most anticipated shows-and also Netflix India's most expensive outing till date (made at a rumoured budget of Rs 200 crore)-giving a sneak peek into the world its creator Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) has conjured. The event, held at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi in early April, saw the main conference hall at the hotel being converted into a bazaar, with stalls offering gajras (garlands made of mogra flowers) and attar (perfume). In one corner, two women dressed in rani pink (hot pink) ensembles helped attendees pick Urdu poetry to send to a lover or a dear friend; another corner had an exhibit displaying the embellished costumes designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula have created for the show's six leading ladies. Bhansali himself was missing, but the rich cast-Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Shekhar Suman and Fardeen Khan among them-along with Netflix India VP Monika Shergill and Bhansali Productions CEO Prerna Singh, waxed eloquent about him enough to remind everyone that the court belonged to one man and one man alone.
Four years in the making, the eight-episode series about the life of six courtesans in the backdrop of India's freedom struggle dropped on the OTT platform on May 1. With all the synchronised classical dances and angst and broken hearts in the story, Bhansali has called it his tribute to Kamal Amrohi's Pakeezah, Mehboob Khan's Mother India and K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam. As Bollywood biggies avoid cinemas in May owing to the ongoing Lok Sabha election, Heeramandi has become the de facto biggest release of the month.
Jewel in the Pack
This story is from the May 13, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 13, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BACK IN ACTION
Besides making a thrilling comeback with Tipppsy, Deepak Tijori is working on pushing the boundaries with new projects
THE POWER OF PATIENCE
A steady approach has helped badminton player Lakshya Sen secure a spot in the upcoming Paris Olympics
Great Balls of Fire
The sport of PICKLEBALL is set to get a boost in India with the launch of the World Pickleball League here
Man of Many Ideas
Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav questions simplistic notions of Lala Lajpat Rai's politics in this well-researched book
THE HINDU NATIONALIST
Janaki Bakhle's Savarkar and the Making of Hindutva is a deep dive into the creation of the ideologue
LOVE CONQUERS
IKKA's third album Only Love Gets Reply brings together bigwigs like Diljit Dosanjh, Badshah and Karan Aujla, among others
The Great Indian Village
Everyone's favourite OTT show, Panchayat, is back for a third season on Amazon Prime Video. Expect a lot of laughs
VISUAL CONSTRUCTS
CLASSICS OF MODERN SOUTH ASIAN ARCHITECTURE ARE PORTRAYED IN THESE VOLUMES
TROPICAL TROPES
Tropical Modernism, an exhibition at the V&A, London, looks at the adoption of this architectural style in post-independence India and Ghana
INDIAN ARMY FACES THE GORKHA QUESTION
THE PANDEMIC AND NEPAL'S OPPOSITION TO THE AGNIPATH SCHEME HAVE STALLED GORKHA RECRUITMENT IN THE INDIAN ARMY. THEIR FALLING NUMBERS ARE A STRATEGIC CONCERN FOR INDIA, PARTICULARLY AMIDST RISING SPECULATION ABOUT CHINESE PLANS TO INDUCT THE LEGENDARY SOLDIERS