The original Heera Mandi in Lahore was set up as a grain market by Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s prime minister in 1843. Courtesans happened to occupy a corner in this area.
Origins of Heeramandi in Lahore
In this photo: Actor Richa Chadha with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Heeramandi. Image via X
X users pointed out historical inaccuracies in the big-budget Netflix series directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. These range from the language the characters speak, to the opulence of their dresses and homes.
6 things Heeramandi gets wrong…
In this photo: Actor Sonakshi Sinha with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Heeramandi. Image via X
The series is set in Lahore in the 1940s, a time when Lahoris predominantly spoke Punjabi not Urdu.
1. Language: Urdu vs Punjabi
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X users wrote that Heeramandi in the 1940s comprised multi-storey kothas. They didn’t have the luxury of palatial homes and sprawling courtyards.
2. Grandeur over authenticity
In this photo: Actors Aditi Rao Hydari and Manisha Koirala on the sets of Heeramandi. Image via X
The music of Noor Jehan, who was extremely popular in undivided India in the 1940s, has been replaced by what an X user called ‘Sufiana custard’.
3. Noor Jehan and other missing master artists
Image credit: FilmIndia via Wikimedia Commons
X users also said that the location and milieu was a mishmash of Delhi, Agra and Lahore.
4. Magic milieu
In this photo: Sanjay Leela Bhansali with Aditi Rao Hydari. Image via X
Designer Vinay Gupta reportedly took 3 years to make the jewellery for Heeramandi. And fashion designers Rimple And Harpreet were roped in to do the elaborate costumes.
5. Overkill on costumes & jewellery
In this photo: Actor Sonakshi Sinha in Heeramandi. Image via X
… The sex workers of Heeramandi, however, could not have afforded such outfits and jewels. They did dress up for performances, but the opulence here is much beyond anything that would have been within their means, X users said.
5. Overkill on costumes & jewellery
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Made on a massive budget (Sanjay Leela Bhansali is said to have drawn around Rs 60 crore), Heeramandi is a missed opportunity to capture a vibrant place at a vibrant time, X users lamented.
Image via X