Sanjay Leela Bhansali defends historical inaccuracies in Heeramandi: 'My cinema is not subtle'

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has finally responded to the criticism regarding historical inaccuracies in Heeramandi. The filmmaker's OTT debut received mixed response due to concerns about the authenticity of the depiction of the pre-independence period from the 1920s to the 1940s. Sanjay, in an interview with Baradwaj Rangan for Galatta Plus said that his cinema will always be unsubtle, indelicate and larger-than-life. (Also read: Bhansali says tawaifs fascinate him, not ‘women standing in line for ration')

Sanjay Leela Bhansali justifies his larger-than-life approach

When asked about the accuracy in his epic show, Sanjay opined, “In my mind, it was the most romantic place to be in. I come from that world. I’ve always watched films with pimps and prostitutes around in the theatres. My cinema will always have that dramatic touch and that larger-than-life approach, which is not subtle, which is not delicate, but it is heartfelt. It’ll have a dignity of it being told on the screen because I work on the visual of it. It has to be worthy of being there because I’m reliving a certain moment of my life, of this life, maybe past life.”

He further added,“I am responsible for giving my audience an experience, and I will give them the fullest of mine. I’m not here to make money, I’m here to make a film. I’m here to make an experience for you.”

About Heeramandi

Heeramandi is based on the red-light district called Heera Mandi in Lahore (now, in present-day Pakistan) during the pre-partition era. Sanjay's magnum opus chronicles the lives of courtesans in Heera Mandi and their relationships with Nawabs at that time. The narrative of Heeramandi revolves around the treachery and exploitation of British colonialism in the backdrop of India's independence revolution.

Heeramandi features Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman in pivotal characters. Fardeen Khan, Farida Jalal, Jason Shah and Mark Bennington also play crucial roles in the series.