MUMBAI: Many years ago, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had planned a movie titled Heeramandi, but it never got made. A few months ago, it was announced that the filmmaker is now making a series titled Heeramandi which will be streamed on Netflix. Recently the teaser of the series was released and it increased the curiosity among fans all the more.
The series, as per the teaser, is based on the red-light area called Heera Mandi in Lahore during the British Raj. Here are some facts of Heera Mandi that have possibly inspired director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to make the series;
-Heera Mandi is reportedly named after Prime Minister of Lahore’s Sikh Kingdom, Hira Singh. It was initially a grain market but slowly transformed after many courtesans started visiting the place.
-During the Mughal era, women from Afghanistan and Uzbekistan were ‘brought‘ to the area and courtesans were associated with music, dance and other cultural pursuits. Later, women from Indian subcontinent started coming here to perform Kathak for the Mughals and the place turned into a cultural hub.
-Also known as Shahi Mohalla or Royal neighborhood, the place was a residential area for royal court attendants as it was next to the Lahore fort but soon became home to courtesans.
-Heera Mandi’s association with sex work started after Ahmad Shah Abdali’s invasion when his troops captured women from sacked towns and cities.
-During the day time, Heera Mandi looks like any other regular marketplace selling food, juttis and musical instruments, etc, but as night falls, the place changes into something else.
-Stories of Heeramandi’s courtesans became famous in the fiction world. A courtesan named Anarkali, from the Mughal court in Lahore engaged in forbidden love with Prince Salim. Her father was furious and against the affair, and sealed her inside a wall, which inspired K. Asif’s Mughal-E-Azam.
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