Netflix's 'Heeramandi' co-director Snehil Dixit on director Vivek Agnihotri's criticism: 'I believe he hasn't…'

Netflix and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s show Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar has been receiving polarising responses so far. Many have loved it, some have had a critical gaze to the opulent world of the filmmaker. One of the critical gazes was of The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri.

The filmmaker wrote on X- ‘haven’t seen the show, but I have visited  Heeramandi in Lahore a few times. Bollywood has this tendency to romanticize courtesans and brothels. It’s a sad commentary because brothels have never been places of opulence, glamour or beauty. These are monuments of human injustice, pain and suffering. Those unfamiliar with this should watch Shyam Benegal’s Mandi.’

The filmmaker added- ‘Also, a question we must ask: Does creativity give us the freedom to glamorize human suffering? Is it okay to make a film where slum life is depicted as a life of abundance? Is it okay to portray slum dwellers wearing clothes as if they are attending an Ambani wedding? Pl discuss.’

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A brilliant critique by @_SophieSchol. I haven’t seen the show, but I have visited Heeramandi in Lahore a few times. Bollywood has this tendency to romanticize courtesans and brothels. It’s a sad commentary because brothels have never been places of opulence, glamour or beauty.… https://t.co/D56qU0Zyg0

— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 4, 2024

Responding to his criticism was the co-director Snehil Dixit, who told News18 in an interview, “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."

She added, “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. 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 had a very powerful position in the society.”