Bhansali Asked Aditi Rao Hydari NOT To Lose Weight For Heeramandi's Gajagamini Walk: 'You Look Beautiful'

Aditi Rao Hydari’s performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi is getting a lot of praise, along with her trending Gajagamini walk. In an interview with Zoom TV, Aditi opened up on her viral video from the song Saiyaan Hatto Jaao. She said that Bhansali meticulously directed the sequence, ensuring every detail matched the beat. Aditi also shared that the filmmaker complimented her looks, even though she had gained weight post-Covid.

She said, “He said that he wanted that dupatta to fall on a particular beat, the head to turn and the ‘chann‘ (sound of the ghungroo) to come exactly on the beat, so it was all his thought and his creation. Also, when I had put on the Ghagra, Sanjay Sir told me that I had put on weight. I asked him to give me 10 days since it was post Covid. He said, ‘No you look beautiful. Let’s shoot.’ I really value that. That’s why I say he is an incredible teacher.”

Aditi mentioned that she was curious to ask Sanjay Leela Bhansali about the walk. She said, “I want to ask somebody, Sanjay sir, my dance teacher, what is it? Is it the Gajagamini walk, the swan walk? What walk is that I don’t know! I’ll say it was what Sanjay sir asked me to do. I followed Sanjay sir and what he told me. I know in Kathak there is Mayur chaal (peacock walk), then there is Gajagamini (walk of seduction), but I am sure it is in all the dance forms but I don’t know, I should find out. Whatever I see on Instagram, Reel upon Reel, the whole viral nature of that tukda (piece) is so overwhelming. He (Sanjay) is very good at spotting magic on the spot and he created a lot of nuances in the process.”

Aditi plays Bibbojaan, a courtesan and the elder daughter of Mallikajaan, portrayed by Manisha Koirala, in Heeramandi. Set during the Indian independence movement, the series is named after Lahore’s red-light district, Heera Mandi. It explores power struggles between courtesans, Nawabs, and British officers. Alongside Aditi, the series stars Sonakshi Sinha, Sharmin Segal, Richa Chadha, Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Adhyayan Suman, and Farida Jalal.

News18 Showsha gave it a rave review and four stars.