Heeramandi — Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Heeramandi – The Swan Song

Episode 8 aka the season finale of Heeramandi starts with Mallikajaan realising that Alamzeb had been far too traumatised by Tajdar’s death. Bibbojaan takes Alamzeb to Tajdar’s grave so that she can give herself some closure over her death.

What happens when Mr Baloch finds out about Tajdar’s death?

At the same time, Mr Baloch questions Cartwright and Mr Henderson about his son’s death. The two British cops lie to Mr Baloch and tell him that the freedom fighters had shot Tajdar while he was in their custody.

Cartwright further goes on to claim that the freedom fighters were afraid that Tajdar would leak their plans and kill him before they could torture him to spill the details about the protests. Mr Baloch kicks the officers out after being too shattered by his son’s death.

Do Fareedan and Mallikajaan end their rivalry?

Fareedan comes to the Shahi Mahal and apologises to Mallikajaan for going overboard with her revenge. Mallikajaan also apologises to Fareedan and hands over the palace keys to Fareedan. She claims that Fareedan was the true heir to Mallikajaan’s legacy. The two join hands to save Heeramandi from being closed down.

Bibbojaan attends a meeting with the rest of the freedom fighters where they pledge ‘Do or Die’ and promise to kill the British cops. The cops show up to attack the freedom fighters but one of their friends – Rizwan – is shot as the others escape. Bibbojaan takes the freedom fighters to Heeramandi and Mallikajaan offers them a place to stay.

Do the Nawabs help the courtesans in the freedom struggle?

Fareedan tells Wali Mohammed that Heeramandi would not entertain any noblemen going forward as the courtesans were going to take part in the freedom struggle. Wali Mohammed tries to explain to Fareedan how she was doing to wrong thing but Fareedan is adamant. Wali Mohammed is sure that Fareedan and the courtesans will not be able to successfully overthrow the British rule and leave.

Alamzeb learns that Daadijaan was very sick after hearing about Tajdar’s murder. She shows up at the Baloch house to meet Daadijaan and asks her to be courageous and get healthy for the birth of Tajdar’s child that she was carrying in her womb. The news of her grandson’s child lifts Daadijaan’s spirits.

Mr Baloch gathers all the nawabs and tells them that the British army was onto the courtesans from Heeramandi. He states that the Nawabs should all cut their ties with teh courtesans to avoid getting into the British army’s bad books. The nawabs, led by Zulfikar, all unanimously agreed to stop visiting Heeramandi to protect their allegiance with the crown.

Who kills Mr Henderson?

The courtesans learn about the Nawabs’ decision and are worried. Bibbojaan tries to convince Mallikajaan and the courtesans to join the freedom struggle. She asks them to leave the shackles of the Nawabs and start their fight. That night, Hamid and the group decide to kill Mr Henderson the following day. Bibbojaan tells Hamid that she was invited to a party hosted by Mr Henderson. She tells Hamid that she will fire a shot and kill Henderson with her own hands.

At the party, Mr Henderson claims that the Indians were free from the fascist Nazis because of the British rule. He asks the Indian soldiers to join hands with the British army and help them fight the Nazis. Just then, Bibbojaan gets up from her seat and shoots Mr Henderson. Hamid saves Bibbojaan’s life but he is shot dead by the British soldiers. Cartwright asks the cops to arrest Bibbojaan and keep her alive for questioning.

What do Mallika and Fareedan do after Bibbojaan’s arrest?

Mallikajaan learns about Bibbojaan’s involvement in Mr Henderson’s death. For the first time in her life, Mallikajaan praises her daughter’s bravery and promises to start a revolution in Heeramandi for India’s freedom. The cops beat Bibbojaan up and ask her to spill the secrets of Hamid’s freedom struggle. Bibbojaan refuses to answer Cartwright’s questions. She is sentenced to death, without a hearing.

Fareedan tells Mallikajaan that the British Army, including Cartwright, would not let her meet Bibbojaan and adds that there was no way to save her. Mallikajaan states that she was proud of her daughter for becoming Heeramandi’s first-ever martyr. Fareedan asks Mallikajaan to join hands with her and get on the streets of Lahore, protesting Bibbojaan’s arrest. Mallikajaan agrees to protest against the British Army.

What does Alamzeb do to Cartwright?

That night, Ustaadji hands Alamzeb a gun and asks her to kill Cartwright. He tells her that Cartwright had requested to spend the night with Alamzeb and adds that she should take advantage of the situation and kill him. The next day, the courtesans shut down the Shahi Mahal as well as the Khwabgah and got down on the streets, protesting against the British Army.

Does Bibbojaan die? How does Heeramandi end?

Bibbojaan is taken to be executed and the courtesans led by Mallikajaan and Fareedan make their way to the site of Bibbojaan’s execution. The courtesans sing their swan song where they ask to see the freedom of India. Meanwhile, Alamzeb makes it to Cartwright’s room.

Just as the British Army shoots Bibbojaan dead, Alamzeb shoots Cartwright dead. The episode ends with the narrator stating that the courtesans played a pivotal role in the freedom of India but their participation in the freedom struggle was hardly ever mentioned.

The Episode Review

Phew, this was an intense episode. There indeed is little to no mention of the courtesan’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle when it was them who gave up their all to help India attain freedom from British rule. The episode does not show how India attained freedom but shows how the journey towards India’s attainment of freedom was kickstarted. 

Aditi Rao Hydari does a stellar job as Bibbojaan as do Manisha Koirala as Mallikajaan and Sonakshi Sinha as Fareedan. Aside from the story, the show is stupendously shot with each showing you the grandeur that we only heard or read about in our history textbooks. Trust Sanjay Leela Bhansali to go above and beyond with his filming set, and he does so with every scene of this show.

This one is a female-led drama through and through and I hope more such projects are made especially under platforms like Netflix with the success of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.