Actress Manisha Koirala, who played courtesan Mallikajaan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar' is getting rave reviews for her performance despite the series getting mixed reviews from audience and critics. In a recent interview, Manisha opened up about her intimate scene with Shekhar Suman in 'Heeramandi'.
Manisha told Bollywood Bubble that the scene was initially not part of the show. She recalled, “I was in Nepal doing gardening when I got a call from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s office. Sanjay said on call, ‘Manisha there is a good role for you, just read the script.’ I was so happy. I had stopped dreaming about working with him.” The actress also revealed that she wasn't fully aware of the scene. She further said, “See, every little thing Sanjay does, he tries to bring in a new element that we hadn’t thought of, and he does it. So even about this scene, when rehearsals were going on, it must have been new.”
Shekhar recently shared the much talked-about scene on his Instagram handle and wrote, “Sharing a scene with you which is unique and unthinkable, which might look ridiculous and bizarre on the face of it because of the apparent debauchery but underneath it lies the poignancy and pathos of a degenerated Nawab who is desperately hanging on to the last vestige of nobility and yet servile to the British Raj. Also aware that he is being used and manipulated by Mallikajan.'' He added, ''The scene is laden with conflicting emotions, paradox and dichotomy. The scene may look facile, but it is a scene that had to be enacted accurately and understandingly keeping its complexities on mind.”
Shekhar Suman played the role of Nawab Zulfikar in the Netflix show. Set in the period of 1920-40, 'Heeramandi' is about the life of the courtesans of Heeramandi in Lahore and how they fought against British rule. The eighth-episode show also starred Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, and Sharmin Segal among others in key roles.
