Sanjay Leela Bhansali ventured into the OTT space with his highly-anticipated web series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. One unexpected outcome of the show was the spotlight cast on his niece, Sharmin Segal, who plays Alamzeb in the gilded series. Sharmin Segal was put on the chopping block for her “expressionless” acting and “monotone” delivery. However, Bhansali feels that Sharmin was perfect for the role.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali told India Today, “She has a face which is exactly what Alamzeb should be, somebody who doesn’t want to be a tawaif, she doesn’t talk like a tawaif, she doesn’t walk like a tawaif. Her face had innocence, whereas all the others had lived life, they had survived manipulation and mental games. You needed somebody with a fresh, innocent quality to her… I felt that Sharmin was the right choice for Alam not because she’s my niece.”
He continued, “She had to go through the grind. There were an innumerable number of tests, auditions. There’s no end to the number of tests I’ve done with her, after I’ve decided to cast her. I told her, ‘You have to go through the grind, you have to get it right, because this world you’ve never been to, you’ve never acted in. All these other actors have worked over a period of time, they’ve played characters like this and have understood all these nakhras and thumkas and the nazakat…’”
“If you get the casting right, half the battle is won. People say, ‘Don’t you think you need bigger stars?’ I said, ‘No, these are fantastic actors, and I need actors’. I feel we should get rid of the star system,” he added.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi was released on Netflix on May 1. Its stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Richa Chadha and Sharmin Segal in the lead. It also features Farheen Khan, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman in key roles.
His upcoming project is the film Love & War, starring Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, and Vicky Kaushal. Officially announced in January 2024, SLB recently provided an update on the movie’s music during an interview, revealing that he has composed a song for it.
The film reunites Bhansali and Ranbir Kapoor after 17 years and marks the filmmaker’s first film with Vicky Kaushal. Bhansali reunites with Alia Bhatt after the success of Gangubai Kathiawadi. With Love and War, Ranbir and Vicky reunite on the big screen after Sanju and Ranbir and Alia are paired together after Brahmastra. The film is slated to release on Christmas 2025.
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