Shekhar Suman’s performance is receiving widespread praise for his acts as Nawab Zulfikar in Heeramandi. This show is about the red-light area in Lahore before India got divided. Talking about the sex workers Shekhar gave his opinion on them.
Shekhar Suman is getting a lot of love for playing the character of Nawab from the British Raj in the epic show Heeramandi. Which is an offering from Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He played a prince from the time when the British ruled South Asia. In a talk on Radio Nasha, Sekhar talked about how important are sex workers in society. He said they contribute a lot, even though sometimes people don’t see it that way. There’s no doubt, that Shekhar Suman’s statement on prostitution will change the perspective of the people.
The story Heeramandi depicts the relationship between Nawabs and courtesans. Shekhar said that people often don’t understand courtesans properly and just think of them as people who sell sex. He said, “It is the society which has made them this way. A lot of times on the show, it has been spelled out that no woman becomes a prostitute out of choice. Circumstances often force a woman to become a sex worker. Despite all of this, their contribution to society is immense because society is safe. After all, men get to channelize their sexual hunger towards sex workers.”
Heeramandi is an ‘institution’ said Shekhar
Shekhar added, “Kids were sent there, nawabs would learn from them. The contribution of Heeramandi was immense, it was an institution. But we’ve always negatively seen courtesans. Being a courtesan isn’t bad. In Heeramandi, it also showed how they helped in the freedom movement, which was important. Sadly, they weren’t recognized or celebrated.”
About Heeramandi
The epic story of Heeramandi is set in the 1920s-the 40s when the Indian independence revolution was on the rise. Apart from Shekhar, his son Adhyayan Suman also portrays Nawab Zoravar and young Nawab Zulfikar in the series. The film’s stars include talented actors like Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, and Farida Jalal. They had played crucial roles in this most talked about show.
