Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Heeramandi’ renewed for season 2 by Netflix

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus debut series ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ has been renewed for a second season by Netflix.

Within the first week of its launch on May 1, the series danced its way up Netflix’s global non-English TV chart in 43 countries, becoming the most-watched Indian series for the streamer worldwide. The series has been at number 1 on the India Top 10 chart since its launch.

Set from 1920 to 1947, when the subcontinent was partitioned into India and Pakistan, Season 1 of the lush story is set in the Heeramandi district of Lahore, British India, the milieu of the tawaifs. Similar to the geishas of Japan, tawaifs were trained in music and dance and were courted by the nobility. At the center of the show is Mallikajaan (Manisha Koirala), the devious queen of Heeramandi, and her vengeful niece Fareedan (Sonakshi Sinha), who has ambitions to take her aunt’s place.

Season 1 was created after an intensive production process of 350 shooting days spread over three years. “It takes a lot to make a series. This one cost a lot. After ‘Gangubai’ [Berlinale title “Gangubai Kathiawadi”] released in February 2022, from then until now I have worked every day without a break. So the responsibility for the series is huge,” said Bhansali Variety.

“In ‘Heeramandi 2’ the women are now coming to the film world from Lahore. They leave Lahore after partition and most of them settle in the film industry in Mumbai or Kolkata. 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’re planning, let’s see where it goes,” Bhansali added.

Season 2 was announced at an event in Carter Road, Mumbai, where a flash mob of 100 dancers dressed in sparkling anarkalis (a traditional Indian dress) and ghungroos (anklets) danced to a medley of songs from the series. The dancers delivered the news during the performance.

Monika Shergill, VP, content, Netflix India, said, “Sanjay Leela Bhansali has intricately woven magic to bring ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ to life. It’s very energizing to see audiences fall in love with this series – truly cementing it as a cultural phenomenon – and it energizes me to say we’ll be back with Season 2.”