- By Tapapriya Dutta
- Wed, 08 May 2024 11:36 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sonakshi Sinha is being praised for her role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. The actress, who appeared to play a homosexual character in the series, has opened up about the role. Sonakshi was seen portraying an antagonist named Fareedan in the web serie. Explaining Fareedan’s character, the star said that it is a very vast world and also mentioned that Bhansali wanted to touch several aspects of it in small ways.
In a conversation with News18 Showsha, Sonakshi said “Initially, sir (Bhansali) had told me that Fareedan is very fluid. At that point of time, a lot of it did happen. And in a place like Heeramandi, people were very open about it. Even Ustadji is very openly a gay man. Sir wanted to explore it in different ways. What Fareedan has been through in her life also has impacted her in a way.”
The actress further revealed the reason behind the scene when Fareedan’s character got engaged in sexual interaction with her maid. “She was sold off when she was a nine-year-old girl. Maybe that’s why she absolutely hates men. It could be that. They’ve left it very open. They didn’t explore it any further than that one scene where she meets Choudhary saab (a nawab) and is with her maid. It’s just a very vast world and sir has tapped into different aspects of it in small ways,” the actress added.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar was released on 1st May 2024 on Netflix. The series featured Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal as courtesans and Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman as ‘Nawabs’. The series has eight episodes streaming on the OTT platform. The story delves into the world of courtesans during British rule in India. Mallikajaan played by Manisha Koirala rules an elite house of courtesans but faces new challenges as a new rival Fareedan played by Sonakshi Sinha threatens her reign.