Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Mega Budgeted Netflix Series 'Heeramandi' Sees Disappointing Debut

Mumbai, May 8 - Netflix may have to wait a bit longer to score a breakout global success from India as its ambitious period drama series Heeramandi - The Diamond Bazaar, created by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, failed to make an impact in its opening weekend.

Made on a budget of over 200 crores, Heeramandi was supposed to be the next big thing for Netflix but it could only manage to score 4.5 million worldwide views and 33 million viewing hours over the 5-day opening weekend. It is among the poorest viewership for Netflix India for the original shows.



Though the series debuted at number 2 worldwide in the non-English category on Netflix, the critical and audience reception is below average for the show which might make it difficult for it to rebound in the coming weeks.

Despite Netflix's continued efforts to woo Indian audiences, there is not a single show or movie in the streamer's top 10 list, and now Heeramandi is also falling flat. It is already being termed as a big-budget disaster for the OTT giant.

The series is about the lives of tawaifs in the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore during the Indian independence movement against the British Raj. It stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal Mehta, and Taha Shah Badussha, with Farida Jalal, Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Shruti Sharma and Adhyayan Suman in recurring roles.

Stay tuned...