HEERAMANDI CO-DIRECTOR SNEHIL DIXIT MEHRA OPENS UP ABOUT VIVEK AGNIHOTRI'S CRITICISM: 'HE SHOULD WATCH IT FIRST'
The internet is divided about Sanjay Leela Bhansali's most recent web series, ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’. While some have praised it, others have expressed concerns about the story, the performances, and the casting. In fact, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri recently expressed his criticism of the show on social media, saying that it praises courtesan lives when, in reality, brothels are ‘monuments of human injustice, pain and suffering.’
During an interview with News18 Showsha, Snehil Dixit Mehra, who is one of the additional directors of the historical drama series, responds to Agnihotri’s post. She stated, “I believe that he hasn’t seen the show. Heeramandi isn’t about the glorification of tawaifs. The show is set against the backdrop of the 1920s and the 1940s. At that time, tawaifs were ruling the roost.”
As she walks through the study the writing team and Bhansali conducted, Snehil notes that data indicated that tawaifs were treated like "queens" and affirms that Heeramandi successfully accomplished its goal.
“We did extensive research before making the show. There was an insight that we found during our research which was that these tawaifs were so rich that even when they fudged their numbers, they were paying more taxes than the nawabs,” she said.
She further added, “They had a lot of wealth and power that they had a lot of influence over nawabs and politicians so much so that they would come to seek advice from these women. At that time, girls belonging to legitimate families were kept in purdah and weren’t allowed to get taalim. But tawaifs had taalim on everything – they could learn art, read and write. They were very sharp women. They had a very powerful position in the society.”
Speaking about how the filmmakers of ‘Heeramandi’ have stayed true to the reality instead of straying from it for the sake of artistic license, she says, “With the freedom struggle and British trying to break the nautch girls, they lost their dignity in the process. This is the story we’ve chosen to say. It’s not about the glorification of the tawaifs; it’s just what the story is. He (Agnihotri) should watch the series first to understand what we’re trying to convey.”