Sanjay Leela Bhansali breaks silence on Sharmin Segal's performance in 'Heeramandi'
- By Web Desk -
- May 23, 2024
After a lot of criticism and brutal trolling on social media, veteran filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has finally reacted to his niece, Sharmin Segal’s performance in his new series, ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’.
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Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his blockbuster body of work and his perfectionist attitude, bringing out the absolute best in an actor, be it Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukerji, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, or the very latest, the actors of ‘Heermandi’.
However, his niece Segal, who essayed Alamzeb in the Netflix series, is being constantly criticized for her bland and expressionless performance and was even dubbed as the weakest link among the seasoned cast. Viewers also questioned Bhansali for casting her in a lengthy role, only because of his relation to her.
In a new interview, the Bollywood filmmaker spoke about the performance of the ensemble star cast, including Segal, in his much-anticipated series.
Bhansali chose not to address the criticism around her acting but rather praised Segal’s work. He said, “She kept saying, ‘Mama, I’ll underplay.’ I said, ‘Underplay? Are you thinking I’m going to ask you to overplay?”
However, speaking about this ‘new energy’, brought to the table by the young generation of actors, SLB said, “I know that they [the new generation of actors] love me as much. I can see it in the way [they ask me], ‘Are you happy? Should we do one more take? Can we do it one more time? Are you okay? I can see that love in their eyes. Now that’s very rare.”
For the unversed, Segal also assisted her uncle, veteran filmmaker Bhansali, on blockbusters like ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’, ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, before making her on-screen debut in his production ‘Malaal’ and bagging the key role in his series.
Meanwhile, the eight-part Netflix series ‘Heeramandi’ of SLB, follows six courtesans, essayed by Sonakshi Sinha, Sharmin Segal, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Manisha Koirala and Sanjeeda Sheikh, and their lives in the red-light district of Lahore.
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