Heeramandi: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Defends Criticism Glorifying Courtesans in Period Drama, Says ‘Stories of Suffering…’
Heeramandi director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, defended his cinematic vision by saying that in addition to the lavish ensembles, he also portrayed the emotional agony and turmoil that courtesans go through.
With the Netflix original film Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, which debuted earlier this month, Sanjay Leela Bhansali made his OTT debut. His show is a perfect example of how women’s roles in movies have evolved. The period drama, hailed for its grandeur, acting, and cinematography, took criticism for glorifying courtesans and historical misrepresentations. The director refuted these accusations about his show in a recent interview.
Bhansali who has earlier shared the stories of courtesans in his movies like Gangubai Kathiawadi and Devdas, speaks highly of them. He said, “These women are, number one, beautiful. These women were very sophisticated and trained in etiquette and they knew the art of living in terms of poetry. They knew tradition, and they knew the art of classical dancing and classical music, but they also had stories of suffering that went through a lot of turmoil.”
Heeramandi explores women’s experiences that are frequently ignored by shedding light on courtesan life in pre-colonial India. These women’s tales of love, treachery, and tenacity are vividly and subtly brought to life by Bhansali’s trademark attention to detail.
The director added, “And that was the fun of showing them all dressed in those diamonds and the things that they were saying something. They had their own inner politics; they had to fight as much to survive as a middle-class woman or a lower-class woman, a woman or a man has to survive and they go through their own struggles. So, I have not only shown the glamorous part but there are turmoil stories that we created, some from hearsay; some from real characters.”
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s show stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Richa Chadha, and Sanjeeda Shaikh as the courtesans. Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, and Farida Jalal, among others, play important roles in Heeramandi. The period drama has been dubbed in 13 languages, including French, German, Malay, and Thai.
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