Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala and Sharmin Segal. Pics/Ashish Raje, Instagram, X, AFP

The courtesans dazzled with their dances, wielded charm as power, and shaped politics in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. Despite mixed reviews, The Sanjay Leela Bhansali-created series managed to captivate the audience. Now, the courtesans are preparing to pick up from where they left. Vibhu Puri, one of the show’s writers, tells mid-day that work on the new instalment has begun.

“We are currently in the writing stage, exploring the characters and [their] storylines,” shares Puri of the series that premiered on Netflix in May last year. The Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Sanjeeda Shaikh and Sharmin Segal-starrer became “one of the biggest successes of Netflix.”

Courtesy the response to its maiden season, the expectations from the second season are naturally high. “People had doubted whether the show would work with the current generation and if they would understand it, but they embraced the world of Heeramandi,” beams Puri.

The last season ended with the courtesans of Heeramandi joining the freedom struggle. The new season focuses on their displacement, as they shift to the Hindi and Bengali film industries. “We should be able to start filming it very soon,” Puri says. With Richa Chadha and Aditi Rao Hydari’s characters’ death in ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’, new characters will be added to the second instalment.