EXCLUSIVE - Shruti Sharma aka Saima of Heeramandi says, 'Didn’t know I was auditioning for Sanjay Leela Bhansali, while working with him you have to be spontaneous'

Shruti looked beautiful as she was dressed in traditional wear, while talking to us for a candid and in-depth chat.

When asked if she was scared or jittery or nervous on Day 1 of the shoot, pat came Shruti’s reply, Indeed ‘I was nervous.’

“It was totally different. Being around Sanjay (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) sir is another kind of experience. He is so focussed on his work. He is so particular about everything that when you reach on his set and when he is around, you must be very spontaneous and focussed. Plus, I was very nervous because he has been my favourite director and it has been my dream for me to work with him, so I was very nervous,” she said.

Saima was not just another blink or miss role, but Shruti brought in the innocence to the character that became very loved. Especially her scenes with Satto and Phatto or Mallika Jaan, the actress said she put everything in it.

Shruti said she “just merged Shruti into Saima’.

“When I was told about Saima, all the crew members, the writers told me that they love Saima's character. Because she is the most innocent character in the whole series. She is not manipulating anyone, so you to be very focussed while portraying it. I just gave my all to Saima. There has not been a single moment where I was not living Saima. Somewhere, I just merged Shruti into Saima. All the emotions and feelings, I channelised all my energy, picked all my emotions and feelings I had experienced at some point of my life. It was draining sometime as an actor but I enjoyed it a lot. And it also translated very well on the screen as well,” said Shruti.

Talking about the passionate scene between her character and onscreen lover Iqbal played by Rajat Kaul, the actress said it was a very difficult scene to perform. She also confirmed that she got rashes while shooting for it as it was shot on hay.

“First of all I really want to confirm that I got rashes and I was tired because it was done on hay. Shooting something on hay is difficult as it is not a flat platform to shoot on. And that is an intimate moment between Saima and Iqbal, but it is a very beautiful moment, and it is the first scene where it is established that they are already in a relationship. Their love is not a new blooming love, but they are in a relationship. And in that scene, you get to see a new side of Saima, a side of a woman who is very comfortable with her partner, there is no hesitation very deeply in love and both are comfortable around each other. That's what we were trying to translate on screen and yes, it was tiring. The choreography was very difficult, and I am glad that I got to do that because choreography was the uniqueness of that scene. I don't remember any couple talking, tossing like that on hay. I love that scene a lot and loved to shoot it,” said Shruti as she spoke about the scene which she is proud of.

When asked about the emotional scene between her and Phatto in the series, Shruti says she is not a method actor but feels the scene and then performs.

“There is a statement which I have learnt from Mahesh Bhatt sir when I was doing India's Superstar. He used to say that actors are ‘emotion producing machine’ and I learnt it. It is very difficult to put the process into work. With me, when I am in front of the camera I am so absorbed in the scene, in the emotion. I just deep dive into my experiences I had in life, and I pick them up and work. It happens very naturally. to me. I am not a method actor i have never learnt acting. It is a very natural process for me. I really can't describe the techniques in it, I feel it an it happens. I was there and the energy that Jayati ma’am was giving me I felt it and did it,” said Shruti as she described her scene.

The actress has received a lot of love for ‘Heeramandi’ and fans from Pakistan, Germany and other countries are sending her Dms and messages praising her acting. She said she is overwhelmed with love from all quarters.

“For two years I have been praying while shooting this show, because It is my debut in the show in Bollywood, I have praying that they like my role, my work should be praised. But the kind of response I have received OMG it is out of my imagination. I have been receiving love from so many countries - Germany, Pakistan, Turkey, USA. So many countries, cities in the world are searching for me and congratulating me. My Instagram is full of love. All I have is gratitude in my heart right now. I will work hard in my next project,” she said.

Heeramandi is running on Netflix, and it released on May 1. The show has received mixed views, but the actors have earned major success post the show.