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- By Ridhi Suri
- Wed, 08 May 2024 12:24 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Manisha Koirala is garnering widespread acclaim for her portrayal in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar,' currently available for streaming on Netflix. Reuniting with Bhansali after 28 years, the veteran actress shared insights into her experience working with the renowned Bollywood filmmaker. She also addressed the highly-discussed oral-sex scene featuring her and Shekhar Suman.
Manisha told Bollywood Bubble, "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." When questioned about her prior knowledge of the scene with Shekhar, Manisha admitted that she wasn't fully briefed about it beforehand. "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."
About Heeramandi
'Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar' is a period drama series created and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Set in the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore during the Indian independence movement against the British Raj, the series delves into the lives of tawaifs. The cast includes Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, and Taha Shah Badussha, with Farida Jalal, Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Shruti Sharma, and Adhyayan Suman in recurring roles. The series premiered on Netflix on May 1, 2024.
Set against the backdrop of the Indian independence movement in the 1920s-1940s, 'Heeramandi' explores the lives of tawaifs (historical term for courtesans) in the red-light district of Heera Mandi, Lahore.
'Heera Mandi' was announced as a new project in April 2021, bringing to fruition a vision that had been brewing in the mind of its creator, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, for nearly 14 years. This eight-part series marks Bhansali's debut in the streaming entertainment arena. Filming for the series commenced in June 2022.