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International Business Times
International Business Times
World
Kaneez FATIMA, Rimal FARRUKH, and Asma HAFIZ in New Delhi

Netflix Drama Stirs Complex Past Of Pakistan's 'Courtesans'

Netflix Pakistan Noor
Former sex worker Shagufta watches the trailer of "Heeramandi" (Credit: AFP)

The Netflix hit "Heeramandi" depicts the plush and powerful lives of courtesans in the 1940s, but there is little glamour for modern Pakistani sex workers in the faded red-light district where the series is set.

The eight-part show -- subtitled "The Diamond Bazaar" in English -- portrays courtesans in the "royal neighbourhood" of pre-partition Lahore, once a hub of culture and political intrigue.

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