Sanjay Leela Bhansali's series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar has garnered significant recognition with two nominations at the upcoming Asia Contents Awards and Global OTT Awards, organized by the Busan International Film Festival.
The series, which explores the lives of courtesans in Lahore's Heeramandi district during British India, has captivated audiences since it began streaming on Netflix on May 1.
The star-studded cast includes Manisha Koirala, Sharmin Segal, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, and Sanjeeda Sheikh.
Heeramandi has been nominated for Best OTT Original and Best Original Song for "Sakal Ban." Following the success of its first season, the makers have announced a second season of the series. Bhansali expressed his gratitude, saying, "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."
In the Best OTT Original category, Heeramandi faces competition from several other acclaimed series, including the Korean series Boyhood and Death's Game, the Chinese series The Double, the Taiwanese crime comedy GG Precinct, and the Korean period drama Uncle Samsik (2024).
For the Best Original Song category, "Sakal Ban" from Heeramandi is up against tracks like "Learn to Live Again" from the Taiwanese series Imperfect Us (2024), "Sonaki" from the Korean series Lovely Runner, and "Let's Try" from the Thai series Only Friends.
This year, the Asia Contents Awards and Global OTT Awards received 201 submissions from 16 countries, with 41 works from 10 countries making the final cut across 11 competitive categories.
Other notable nominations include the Chinese drama Blossoms Shanghai (2023) by Wong Kar-wai, the Indonesian series Cigarette Girl (2023) by Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah, and the Korean drama Daily Dose of Sunshine by Lee Jae-kyoo and Kim Nam-su.
The ceremony will take place on October 6 at the BIFF Theatre of the Busan Cinema Center in South Korea.
The winners will be selected by a jury of seven international jurors, including Hidetoshi Nishijima, Alice Ko, Baek Mi Kyoung, An Eunmi, Matsuba Naohiko, Max Michael, and Ellen Y.D. Kim.