Fardeen Khan is set to make a comeback with the series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. He will play Wali Mohammed. The Netflix show, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, will premiere on May 1. In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, Fardeen recounted a meeting with the filmmaker in the early 2000s, where the actor was "brutally rejected". Fardeen said, “You know I am going to narrate a story that I reminded Sanjay sir when I went to meet him for Wali Mohammed. I had gone to his office in the early 2000s to seek work, Obviously to get the opportunity to work with him. He met with me, we sat, we spoke for about 10-15 minutes. He said, 'You know Fardeen I don't think we can work because I don't see that fire in your eyes.'"
“At that time of course it felt brutal and I told him this time that even if that sounded brutal at the time, that's exactly what I wanted to hear, I needed to hear rather. I thanked him for it. He never told me about wanting to cast me in Black. I am hearing it for the first time. But just to have this chance to be able to work with a master craftsman like him, I am extremely grateful for it. It's been a wonderful learning experience. It has enriched me on many levels," Fardeen Khan added.
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar features Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, and Sharmin Segal.
In a chat with ETimes, Sonakshi Sinha, who is portraying a negative role in the series, expressed her long-standing desire to play an antagonist. She said, “I always wanted to play a villain, like a dark character because that is how father began his career and it has been on my bucket list. I'm so happy and so excited about the role.”
Sonakshi Sinha continued, “I just want to play good characters and different roles and that has been a consistent effort from my side. For the last few years, I have been choosing different roles to play on screen- like strong female roles and that is what I want to be remembered for and Heeramandi is a huge stamp of approval, thanks to Sanjay sir.”
Taha Shah, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman will also be seen in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.