Netflix Hit Brings Unwelcome Attention to Lahore’s Red Light District
A new series portraying a troubled district in Pakistan is a runaway success, but not everyone is excited about seeing it on screen.
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, a blend of history and fiction, draws attention to a neighborhood in Lahore, Pakistan.
Source: Netflix
An imaginative take on the Indian subcontinent’s once-vibrant courtesan culture has become a hit for Netflix, drawing attention to a stigmatized neighborhood in Pakistan’s second-biggest city — and not all residents are happy about it.
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, directed by well-known Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, portrays the decadent lives of tawaifs, or courtesans, who in the show entertain and seduce power brokers to aid in rebellion against British rule in pre-Partition India. Heeramandi premiered in early May, and was one of the top-viewed non-English shows worldwide for four consecutive weeks.
The series title refers to the Heera Mandi neighborhood in old Lahore, the cultural hub of Pakistan. A blend of history and fiction, Heeramandi depicts the glitz and glamor of the area, with its grand mansions, or havelis, that housed dancing girls. But Heera Mandi’s few streets are better known today for its shoemakers, audio equipment rental stores and its seedier side.