Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi opened to mixed reviews earlier this month and a unanimous victim of hatred became actress Sharmin Segal. The niece of SLB has been a target of trolls ever since the release of the web series for her performance. Now, the casting director of this Netflix original has arrived in Sharmin’s defense.
Heeramandi casting director on Sharmin Segal getting trolled
In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, casting director Shruti Mahajan says that people should focus on the positives. She said, “People have liked her work also. It is unfair to her that we always want to talk about the negative. Most importantly, as an actor, she has given her 100 percent to the character. She is a very hard-working actor. We should appreciate that and focus on the good.”
If you have arrived at the party late, Sharmin Segal plays the character of Alamzeb in the series who happens to be Mallikajaan (Manisha Koirala)’s daughter.
Sharmin Segal underwent proper auditioning and tests
Shruti who has previously worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in his films Bajirao Mastani and Gangubai Kathiawadi admitted that there was no princess treatment given to Segal but she was onboarded per usual. “She underwent the whole process just like other actors. The process for everyone was the same. They had to go through rounds of auditions, and look tests,” revealed Mahajan.
Was Sharmin Segal a ‘miscast’?
Shruti talked about how everyone finds Sharmin misfit but that was the briefing given by Bhansali. “It was all about her not belonging to the world, and not feel like she is a courtesan. That’s what we kept in mind”, said the casting director admitting that there were many who liked her voice, and acting.
Calling herself proud of the Heeramandi’s cast, Shruti added that Sharmin simply brings a freshness and newness to the cast.
More about Heeramandi
The 8-episodic series also stars Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Sanjeeda Sheikh in the lead roles alongside Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, Shruti Sharma, Indresh Malik and Pratibha Ranta in key roles. It started premiering on May 1 this year.
