The magnum opus of Sanjay Leela Bhansali-Heeramandi is now streaming on Netflix. Made on a high budget of 300 crores plus, the series is based on the brothels and the courtesans in Lahore during the pre-independence era and revolves around the fight and bitterness between two renowned prostitutes who turn rivals and how some of them join India's freedom struggle movement.
Since Heeramandi is more about the tahjeeb and najakat of the tawayafs and mujrewalis, many leading female actresses have been roped in to play some stellar roles. Yesteryear superstar Manisha Koirala leads Heeramandi while Sonakshi Sinha is pitted against her. Other actresses like Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chaddha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, and Farida Jalal also play very important roles. Despite the extravagant sets, designer drapery and costumes, spectacular jewelry, and lighting effects, this SLB heavy-budget series fails to reach the level anticipated.
On the other hand, Kiran Rao-helmed Laapataa Ladies made with a small budget of 12 crore and that too with new actors has been one of the most discussed movies in recent times. Streaming on Netflix currently, the flick has surprised the audience and has earned some great accolades including outstanding and fabulous.
One of the important highlights of this movie is that the story is different and unusual. The comedy in Laapataa Ladies is simple and picked up from the common life of rural areas where patriarchy reigns supreme. Kiran Rao has avoided any lecturing on feminism and instead has unlayered the situation step by step in a delicate way without letting go of the exact idea she wants to project and make the audience understand.
In Laapataa Ladies the brides get exchanged and the chaos that it causes tells an interesting tale. When it comes to acting both Heeramandi and Laapataa Ladies have some major highlights with the likes of Manisha Koirala , Richa Chaddha, and Ravi Kishan stealing the attention.
But when it comes to quality, it is this Kiran Rao-directed movie that wins hands down as it is being discussed widely on social media for offering good entertainment, quality content, and wonderful acting. On the other hand, Heeramandi is getting attention primarily because it is a SLB project and for its extravagant sets and costumes.
Hence, it is quite evident that it is the content that decides the success and failure of an entertainment project and a high budget can never guarantee blockbuster success if the content fails to meet the expectations of the audience.