Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's larger-than-life show 'Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, premiered on Netflix on May 1. Set in pre-Independence India, the web series is based on the lives of courtesans in the oldest red-light district of Lahore's Heeramandi. It has an ensemble cast of Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sonakshi Sinha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, and Sharmin Segal in the lead roles. It also stars veteran actress Faridal Jalal, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman, among others in key roles. The 8-episode show has got mixed reviews. Some Pakistani actors have criticised the show and called 'Heeramandi' a case of cultural appropriation. Richa, who played Lajjo in the show, has now reacted to it. Read on to know what she has said.
In an interview with Mid-Day, when Richa was asked about the Pakisani actors calling 'Heeramandi' an attempt at appropriation, she came in defense of the show and said that she doesn't see it as appropriation. She added, ''My character’s name is Lajwanti. My grandfather is a Punjabi from Lahore, Sharmin’s grandfather studied in Lahore University. Our roots are the same. Most of us would love to see a world without borders, [bound] by a spirit of love. Appropriation would be Rooney Mara playing Tiger Lily in Pan [2015]. In the original story, Tiger Lily was a princess from the Piccaninny tribe, native Americans who inhabit Neverland. Here, we are the same race.”
Richa also spoke about her character. She said that Lajjo is a ''human reflection of this world’s pain, of people’s loneliness''. She is someone who suffers from ''lack of love and wants to belong to someone desperately''. ''People have always seen me play a tomboy or a boisterous part. This is a shift,'' added the 'Gangs of Wasseypur' actor.
'Heeramandi' has also been criticised by a section of Pakistani viewers. They felt that the show is a misrepresentation of the historical inaccuracies, places, costumes, etc.
