Vivek Agnihotri Slams Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi: Bollywood Glamorises Human Suffering

Vivek Agnihotri, best known for his films The Kashmir Files and The Vaccine War among others, recently took to his X handle to criticise the recently released Netflix series Heeramandi. The filmmaker, who admitted to not having watched the series yet, took a dig at Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Bollywood. He accused them of glamorising human suffering.

What did Vivek Agnihotri say about Heeramandi?

On May 4, the filmmaker quote tweeted an X user's post. In the post, the user was criticising the series for not getting the pre-independence Lahore right in terms of clothing, accent, and Urdu.

Quote sharing the post, Vivek Agnihotri wrote, "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. These are monuments of human injustice, pain and suffering. Those unfamiliar with this should watch Shyam Benegal’s Mandi."

Vivek Agnihotri questions if creativity gives freedom to glamorise human suffering

In the same post, the filmmaker also raised a question and asked if it was okay to glamorise human suffering in the name of creative freedom.

He wrote, "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."

What do we know about Heeramandi?

Heeramandi was in the works for over 16 years, according to Sanjay Leela Bhansali who marked his web series debut with the show. The eight-episode period drama series started to stream on Netflix on May 1. It stars actors Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, and Sanjida Sheikh among others.

The series, which garnered praises for its visual appeal, has been getting criticised for accuracy and lack of research.