Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is set to release on Netflix today. The show, which also marks the director's OTT debut, features Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Sharmin Sehgal, Richa Chadha, and Sanjeeda Sheikh in key roles. In a recent chat with Rediff.com, Aditi Rao Hydari shared how Sanjay Leela Bhansali kept her hungry for a scene. The actress said, “One day, Sanjay sir kept me hungry because I had to do a scene which was full of fire. He said, 'Aaj khana mat khana [Don't eat today]', and that helped me get that simmering sense of injustice.”
Aditi Rao Hydari also opened up about the time when the director offered her amazing food at his place. She shared, “In between the lockdowns, I went to meet him (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) because I was missing him. The first thing he said was, 'Kitni patli ho gayi hai, khaana khao!' So he fed me.”
Sharing her experience of working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Aditi Rao Hydari expressed, “There's always music playing in his head and quite often, he gives it to his actors as well when he's directing. Contrary to popular belief, he gives his actors a lot of space. He wants them to find their magic.”
“He's (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) so inspired by everything around, by human emotion, art, music, dance...that he constantly wants to better himself. So the team is inspired by his vision to keep running with him. He effortlessly manages to push you where you didn't believe you could go. He teaches you without actually sitting down with a danda!” Aditi Rao Hydari added.
Sharing a little anecdote from the sets of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, Aditi Rao Hydari said, “Our shoot started with the mujra that you see in the first episode. I think on day three, Fardeen (Khan) sir came to set. I was listening to Sanjay sir and trying to follow everything that he was telling me because he knows so much about dance.”
Aditi Rao Hydari continued, “At some point, he went to talk to Fardeen sir and was like, I hope you're okay. Fardeen sir was like, this is the first time I'm doing this. I've never worn clothes like this, but I could get used to this because there was a girl (wearing that and) dancing in front of me (Laughs).”
Farida Jalal, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman are also part of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.