From Grand Sets To Characters, Here’s How 'Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar' and 'Bridgerton' Are Revolutionizing Period Dramas

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ and Shonda Rhimes' ‘Bridgerton’ are two of the most loved period dramas in the OTT space lately, and have managed to captivate the audience with their narratives. While ‘Heeramandi’ is set in the pre-independence era of India, ‘Bridgerton’ is set amidst the regency era of London. Both Bhansali and Rhimes pay meticulous attention to detail, be it their costumes or the intricately designed sets, or the engaging character arcs. Here’s how the two shows have managed to redefine period dramas:

COSTUMES:

‘Heeramandi’, a historically known place for tawaifs, has been synonymous with its peculiar taste in music, art and culture. To resonate with Bhansali’s vision for the show, designer Rimple and Harpreet Narulah did extensive research to create extraordinary looks for each character. For their costumes, different textiles from personal archives and different museums were referred to, and the designers mixed both French and English prints with Indian brocades, phulkaris and jamawar shawls. Similarly, 

‘Bridgerton’ offered a rich and aesthetically pleasing approach to costume design, thanks to the show’s embellished gowns, regal looking hand gloves, and dapper suits. In the Season 3 of the show, costume designer John Glaser experimented with the looks of Penelope and Colin. For Penelope, a new colour palette was reinforced while Colin has been dressed in darker tones of browns.

GRAND SETS:

The set of ‘Heeramandi’ was built over seven months, with 700 craftsmen to erect the set on about 60,000 wooden planks and metal frames. Be it the walls or paintings, candles, furniture to the chandeliers, everything has been imagined to perfection. 

Coming to ‘Bridgerton’ sets, grand ballrooms and intimate drawing rooms were crafted to transport viewers back to 19th-century London. The interiors of each house including colour palette, arts and paintings, have been designed while keeping the characteristics and backgrounds of each family.

CHARACTER ARCS:

In ‘Heeramandi’, each character's journey is crafted to align with the broader story of love, revenge and freedom, while dealing with complexities of their lives, their inner insecurities, desires and motives. Similarly, in ‘Bridgerton’, each character's personal and romantic entanglements are set against their societal expectations and class dynamics. 

Nonetheless, both Bhansali and Rhimes have managed to transport the audience in another time with their Netflix shows, and it depicts their understanding of the cultural and social nuances of the eras they depict.