When Sanjay Leela Bhansali kept Aditi Rao Hydari hungry for a day during ‘Heeramandi’ shoot

Aditi Rao Hydari captivated audiences with her performance as Bibbojaan, a courtesan turned freedom fighter, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi.

During a roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Aditi shared insights into the challenges she faced while filming the series, including the intense preparations required for key scenes.

When asked about the scenes that kept her up at night, Aditi revealed that her two dance scenes were particularly daunting. “For me, it was my two mujras,” she said. “I have grown up dancing since I was a little girl, but mujra was a very different form of dancing. I had learnt Bharatnatyam, but this was Kathak and it was Kathak through the eyes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is perfectionist max and also knows a lot. And it was about getting it right and not disappointing him. That really gave me sleepless nights.”

Aditi also recalled how Bhansali challenged her during emotional scenes. “The scenes where I had to give rousing speeches, Sanjay sir kept me hungry for a day because these scenes don’t come naturally,” she explained. “I was really struggling with these scenes and he used to pull my leg… He said, ‘don’t eat’. I was very happy and thanked him.”

Set against the backdrop of the Indian independence struggle, Heeramandi explores the lives of courtesans in the red-light district of Lahore during the British Raj. A second season is already in development.

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