A still from Heeramandi. (courtesy: Bhansaliproductions)
For all the fans of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, we have an exciting update. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali project is set to return for a Season 2. Yes, you read that right. How do we know? Sonakshi Sinha, who played the role of Fareedan in the Netflix show, announced the news by sharing a video on Instagram. The text attached to the video read, “Mehfil phir se jamegi, Heeramandi: Season 2 jo aayega. [The gathering will happen again, Heeramandi: Season 2 is coming.] Thanks for this AMAZING birthday gift Sanjay Leela Bhansali Netflix India.” FYI: Sonakshi celebrated her 37th birthday on Sunday, June 2.
In the clip, a group of women can be seen dancing to Heeramandi’s tracks Sakal Ban, Chaudhavi Shab, Saiyaan Hatto Jaao, and Tilasmi Bahein. A sea of people are recording the performance. Soon after, a drone shot reveals the woman standing in a formation spelling out “S 2.” The background audio says, “15 August 1947 ko aazaadi ki jung khatam ho gayi. In tawaifon ki ek aur jung shuru hui. Ek nayi duniya me sar utha ke jeeney ki jung. [On August 15, 1947, the fight for independence ended. For these courtesans, another battle began—the struggle to live with dignity in a new world.]” In the end, the text flashes on screen: “Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar will return for season 2.” Reacting to the post, writer Tahira Kashyap shared a red heart emoji.
Check out the video below:
This announcement video comes a day after Sanjay Leela Bhansali confirmed the return of Season 2. In a chat with Variety. The ace filmmaker said, “It takes a lot to make a series. This one has taken a lot. After ‘Gangubai‘ [Gangubai Kathiawadi] released in February 2022, from that to now every single day I have worked without a break. So the responsibility is huge on the series. In ‘Heeramandi 2,‘ the women now come from Lahore to the film world. They leave Lahore after the partition and most of them settle in the Mumbai film industry or Kolkata film industry. So that journey in the bazaar remains the same. They still have to dance and sing, but this time for the producers and not for the nawabs. So that’s the second season we are planning, let’s see where it goes.”
The publication also quoted VP content of Netflix India, Monika Shergill, saying, “Sanjay Leela Bhansali has intricately woven magic to bring ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar‘ to life. Watching audiences everywhere fall in love with this series — making it truly their own as a cultural phenomenon — has been hugely energizing and it thrills me to share that we will be back with Season 2.”
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar was released on Netflix on May 1. The series marked the OTT debut of filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In addition to Sonakshi Sinha, the show featured Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Richa Chadha, and Sharmin Segal in key roles. The storyline was set in the pre-independent Indian era, where courtesans aided freedom fighters in their struggle against British rule.
Taha Shah Badussha Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, Fardeen Khan, and Farida Jalal were also seen in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. Film critic Saibal Chatterjee gave the show 3 out of 5 stars in an NDTV review. Click here to read the full review.