Sanjay Leela Bhansali Made Aditi Rao Hydari Starve for a Scene in ‘Heeramandi’, Here’s Why

Aditi Rao Hydari has im[pressed fans and critics with her performance in Heeramandi, which premiered on Netflix on May 1. The series features her as Bibbojaan, a courtesan, and boasts of several highly dramatic scenes. In a new interview, the ‘V’ star revealed that Sanjay Leela Bhansali made her starve for a day to help her do justice to her role in the Netflix series.

Aditi Rao Hydari On Working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in ‘Heeramandi’

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a perfectionist who leaves no stone unturned to ensure that his projects meet his high expectations. In an interaction with Rediff, Aditi Rao Hydari revealed that he made her starve for a day before filming a scene in which her character fights against injustice.

“One day, he 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,” she said.

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Aditi further said, contrary to perception, Bhansali is not a stern taskmaster. She further said that he is simply passionate about dance and music.

What’s ‘Heeramandi’ About?

‘Heeramandi’, one of Netflix’s most ambitious Indian projects, is billed as a game-changer for SLB. It has a stellar cast headlined by Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha, Fardeen Khan, Jason Shah, and Shekhar Suman. Richa Chadha essays Lajjo, a character with a tragic past, in the series but doesn’t have much screen time.

The story revolves around Mallikajaan, a bold woman who rules over an elite house of courtesans with an iron fist and fears none. Things change when Fareedan, the daughter of her late sister, returns to settle an old score. This sets the stage for an intense showdown between them.

All eight episodes of ‘Heeramandi’ were released on Netflix on May 1.