Shekhar Suman Says Sex Workers Keep Society Safe: 'Bhookh Jo Mardo Mein Hai Waha Channelise Hota Hai'

Actor Shekhar Suman distinguished between sex workers and courtesans, saying that they are products of society and shouldn’t be categorised together. In an interview with Radio City, he stressed that courtesans are often misunderstood and unfairly labeled as sex workers.

“It is the society which has made them this way. A lot of times on the show, it has been spelt 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 the society is immense… Jaha se hum aate hai, jis tareeka ki bhookh jo mardo mein hai, uska jo channelise waha hota hai uski wajah se samaj bacha rehta hai (The society is safe because men get to channelise their sexual hunger through sex workers),” he said.

Shekhar Suman mentioned that in the past, Heeramandi served as a place where people went to learn various skills like manners, art, and music. It was like a “finishing school” where even nobles sought education. “Kids were sent there, nawabs would learn from them. The contribution of Heeramandi was immense, it was an institution, but we have always viewed courtesans with a different connotation. There is nothing wrong with being a courtesan. In Heeramandi, their contribution to freedom movement was also shown, which was significant. They died unsung, unknown,” he said.

Not long back, Shekhar Suman also opened up about performing a racy scene for Heeramandi. In the scene, Suman, who played the role of a nawab, was sitting in a carriage with Manisha Koirala’s Mallikajaan. However, he was too drunk to notice that he was standing with his back turned to Mallikajaan and rather, was getting fellatio mid-air.

Talking about the scene, Shekhar Suman told Radio City, “So, this scene, where my character is drunk, it was a normal sequence but he felt the subtext of the sequence was different. So, he suggested we do it differently, where I am doing this mid-air… He asked, ‘Are you open for it? If not, that is okay,’ because the scene can turn out really ridiculous, it is a fine line, a tightrope. But I was up for it, and told him main bilkul karuga and we just went into it.”

Currently streaming on Netflix, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar also stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal Mehta, Farida Jalal, Fardeen Khan and Adhyayan Suman in key roles. It explores the various aspects of a woman’s trials and tribulations.