Mumbai. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s web series ‘Hiramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ is being praised and criticized. Some people are praising this series, while some are raising objections about the casting, performance and story. Director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri recently criticized the series. He wrote in a tweet on X that this series glorifies the lives of prostitutes while brothels are a symbol of human injustice, pain and suffering. The additional director of the series has responded to this criticism of Vivek.
Interview given to News 18 Shosha ‘Hiramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ Snehil Dixit Mehra said on Vivek Agnihotri’s post, “I believe he has not seen the show. ‘Hiramandi’ is not about glorifying courtesans. This show is based on the backdrop of the 1920s and 1940s. At that time, courtesans were in vogue.”
Snehil Dixit told AnyTV about the research that Sanjay Leela Bhansali had done along with the team of writers. Snehil revealed that the data showed that courtesans were treated like ‘queens’ and Heeramandi correctly states what he had determined.
Vivek Agnihotri’s tweet. (Photo courtesy: Twitter)
Courtesans used to pay more taxes than the Nawabs
Snehil Dixit says, “We did a lot of research before making the show. One perspective we found during our research was that these courtesans were so rich that even when they fudged their numbers, they were still paying more taxes than the Nawabs. They had so much wealth and power that they had so much influence over the Nawabs and politicians that they came to these women for advice.”
Women of Nawabs and government families used to live in purdah
Snehil Dixit says, “At that time, girls from government families were kept under purdah and were not allowed to take training. But courtesans were trained in everything – they could learn arts, read and write. They were very bright women. “He had a very powerful position in the society.”
Tags: sanjay leela bhansali, Vivek Agnihotri
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 7, 2024, 10:01 IST