A still from the song. (courtesy: YouTube)
How much pain can one endure to relish a sunrise in an independent nation? The new song Azadi from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's much-awaited series Heeramandi encapsulates the indomitable spirit and resilience of the Lahore-based courtesans who will go to any extent to ensure a free nation. The video begins with a voiceover by Sonakshi Sinha saying, "Aap aur hum mit jaye, hume koi gham nehi. Par Heeramandi ki wajood mit jaye, yeh hume manjoor nehi (If you and I die, I won't have sorrow. But if the entity of Heeramandi gets extinct, I won't tolerate it)."
The song documents the tumultous time during a freedom movement where the Heeramandi courtesans are at war with the British soldiers. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's aesthetic grandeur captures the beauty of the scene in which the courtesans lead a march as torch bearers. The song ends on a heart-wrenching note where a captive Aditi Rao Hydari can be heard shouting a slogan of Azadi in unison with her other mates, waiting on the other side of a wall. The song has been composed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The lyrics have been written by A M Turaz. Archana Gore, Pragati Joshi, Aditi Prabhudesai, Arohi, Aditi Paul, Tarannum Malik Jain, Dipti Rege have sung the song.
Sharing the song on Instagram feed, Netflix India wrote, "Yeh jung sirf ishq aur huqumat ki nahi, har haal mein AZADI paane ki hai!#Azadi Song Out Now!Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar premieres 1st May, only on Netflix!" Take a look:
The makers of Heeramandi hosted a grand screening of the series last week. The guest list included heavy weight names from the industry. Apart from the Heeramandi cast, Vicky Kaushal, Rekha, Ananya Panday, Rashmika Mandanna, Kapil Sharma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sussanne Khan, Zayed Khan, Karan Johar, Neetu Kapoor, Pulkit Samrat, Kriti Kharbanda, Rakul Preet Singh, Karan Johar, Huma Qureshi, Aditya Roy Kapur, Soni Razdan, Esha Deol and Shruti Haasan marked their presence at the event.
Produced by Bhansali Productions and Prerna Singh with the concept credited to Moin Beg, the series stars Manisha Koirala, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, and Sanjeeda Shaikh, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, and Taha Shah. Heeramandi will premiere on May 1 on Netflix.