Veteran filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s passion project and first series ‘Heermandi’ has added another feather to its cap. The period drama has secured two nominations at the Asia Contents Awards and Global OTT Awards organised by the Busan International Film Festival. ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ has received nominations for the Best OTT Original and the Best Original Song for ‘Sakal Ban.’

The period drama chronicling the lives of tawaifs (courtesans) in British India is the only Indian project that has been nominated for the prestigious film festival. Expressing his elation over the nominations, Bhansali said, “It’s an honor to be nominated for the Asia Contents Awards. I’m grateful to the jury and the audiences for this incredible recognition.”

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‘Heeramanndi’ premiered on May 1 on Netflix. The series traced the lives of tawaifs living in Lahore under British rule. It hinges upon the nuances of their lives, bringing to light questions of agency, and how they enhanced the cultural fabric. The series was lauded for Bhansali’s expansive visionary landscape that boasted maximal opulence with every scene. It starred Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, and Sharmin Segal in lead roles. Moreover, after the success amassed by the series, the makers have renewed ‘Heeramandi’ for a second season.

 

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Reportedly, ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ emerged as the most-watched series on Netflix in its first week. It racked up 4.5 million views with a whopping 33 million viewership hours. The show also secured the No.1 spot on the top 10 trending charts across 43 countries.

Meanwhile, other titles competing in the Best OTT Original category include the Korean series “Boyhood.” Korean fantasy thriller “Death’s Game”, hit Chinese series “The Double”, Taiwanese crime comedy series “GG Precinct” and Korean period drama “Uncle Samsik” (2024) are also in the run.

Also Read: Heeramandi becomes Netflix India’s most-watched drama series

On the other hand, under the Best Original Song category, competing with ‘Sakal Ban’ is “Learn to Live Again” from the Taiwanese series “Imperfect Us” (2024). Moreover, “Sonaki” from the blockbuster Korean drama “Lovely Runner” and “Let’s Try” from the Thai series “Only Friends” are also running for the award.

Reportedly, for 2024, the Asia Content Awards received a total of 201 submissions from 16 countries. From the pool, 41 works from 10 countries have been shortlisted.  These serve as the final nominees in 11 competitive categories.

The Asia Contents Awards and Global OTT Awards 2024 will be held on October 6. It will happen at the BIFF Theatre of the Busan Cinema Centre in South Korea. Meanwhile, the winners would be decided by a panel comprising seven international jurors. The jury includes Hidetoshi Nishijima, Alice Ko, Baek Mi Kyoung, An Eunmi, Matsuba Naohiko, Max Michael and Ellen Y.D. Kim.