Farida Jalal’s reveals her surprising reaction to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first shot in “Heeramandi”

• Veteran actor Farida Jalal returns to Netthe flix series “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.”
• Jalal, playing Qudsia Begum, initially felt nervous when asked to hold a wine glass for a scene.
• Jalal shared her discomfort with Bhansali, stating she had always declined similar roles.

Veteran actor Farida Jalal, cherished for her iconic roles, made a much-awaited comeback with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Netflix series “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar”. She played Qudsia Begum and initially felt nervous when Bhansali instructed her to hold a wine glass for a scene, recalling, “Mai thandi padh gayi (I froze).” When he explained how he envisioned her performance, she grew uneasy and instantly refused. Surprisingly, Bhansali removed the scene without uttering a word.

In a conversation with “Galatta India”, Farida Jalal recalled how Sanjay Leela Bhansali described her first scene in “Heeramandi”. He imagined her character sitting with a group of “nawabzaadis” at a party, holding a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other while celebrating her son’s return from abroad.

The “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” actress admitted that the description caught her off guard and made her uneasy. She immediately realized that she couldn’t perform the scene because it made her uncomfortable.

Farida Jalal further shared that she told Bhansali about her discomfort, explaining that she had always declined similar roles in the past. She emphasized that holding a cigarette would feel unnatural to her and that she wouldn’t be able to do justice to the scene.

To her surprise, Bhansali chose not to respond and never mentioned the matter again. The “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” actress admired his professionalism and understanding, appreciating how he promptly removed the scene after recognizing her discomfort.

Jalal felt pleased with her character’s on-screen portrayal. She believed that if her character had been shown drinking and smoking, she would have lost her uniqueness and blended in with the other characters in “Heeramandi”.

She shared her happiness with the outcome and felt confident that Bhansali also saw it as the right decision. Farida noted that depicting such habits would have been very uncomfortable for her since she does not engage in those activities.

Manisha Koirala, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha, Taha Shah, and Fardeen Khan, among others, also starred in “Heeramandi”.

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