Netflix’s Heeramandi: How Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s series became a global cinematic experience

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar absolutely exemplifies the changing roles of women in cinema. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a master at crafting powerful characters, and Heeramandi is no exception. Bhansali’s storytelling has inherent power because of the way he shapes his character and settings - not just the visual settings and the visual feasts he creates - it’s the power of the character in his stories that shine.

Right from Mallikajaan, Fareedan, Bibbojaan, Waheeda, to Lajjo and Alamzeb - the characters in the story are where you feel the muscle of the storytelling. By shining a light on the lives of courtesans in pre-colonial India, the series delves into women’s experiences that are often untold. Bhansali’s signature attention to detail brings these women’s stories of love, betrayal, and resilience to life in a beautifully nuanced way.

Monika Shergill, VP – Content, Netflix India at Netflix says, “We believe in reflecting different lives through storytelling and have a long history of championing female-focused narratives. We are particularly proud of the strong female characters we’ve been able to showcase and _Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar_ is a perfect example of that.”

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_Heeramandi_ has been dubbed in 13 languages including eight foreign languages. This is the first time an Indian Netflix series will be dubbed in French, German, Malay, Thai and Arabic.  We strive to put our Indian creators on the global map and dubbing _Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar_ in new languages allows audiences in India and worldwide to experience this grand spectacle in the language of their choice.

Talking about why _Heeramandi_ was dubbed in several foreign and regional languages, Monika Shergill explains, “Our decision to dub Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar in multiple languages reflects our commitment to making great stories accessible to everyone around the world. While we create stories with the core audience in mind, we also recognize the potential for global appeal. The dubbing of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is similar to our approach with international hits like Squid Game. While these stories may be rooted in specific cultures, they hold universal themes that can connect with viewers everywhere. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s art has global appeal and fans beyond the Indian diaspora around the world. We’ve seen that with the audience love for Gangubai Kathiawadi.  After the film launched on the service, it quickly reached the Global Top 10 list of non-English films and was trending in 47 countries. We were confident that Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar complete with Bhansali’s signature style, captivating performances, strong women characters, opulent set designs, along with a bespoke musical album will also entice audiences in India and around the world.”

Voice over artist, Arushi Talwar says, “My overarching brief was to have clean English but no accent. We had to match the style and personality of the character we were dubbing for.”

Artist Virlal Shah had to say, “The brief was to not to sound animated or over effeminate. The English has to sound neutral and of the pre-independence era in India. I was told to imagine my character Ustaad as Naarad Muni and to have fun.”

WATCH the trailer of Heeramandi here: