'Heeramandi' actress Manisha Koirala has finally spoken about the most talked about oral sex scene in the series directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The scene is shot between her character MallikaJaan and Shekha Suman, who is seen as Nawab Zulfikar.
Manisha reunited with Bhansali after a long gap of 28 years. The two had worked together in his directorial venture 'Khamoshi' which also had Seema Biswas and Nana Patekar along with Salman Khan.
Talking about the scene, Manisha who has nailed her look as Huzoor of Shahi Mahal in 'Heeramandi', said she wasn't completely aware of it. "See, every little thing Sanjay does, he tries to bring in a new element that we hadn’t thought of, and he does it. So even about this scene, when rehearsals were going on, it must have been new," she told Bollywood Bubble.
She also spoke about how she got the role of MallikaJaan in the series, which has received a thumbs up from critics but mixed reactions from the audience.
Manisha Koirala also revealed that Bhansali called her and offered her the role over phone. "I was in Nepal doing gardening when I got a call from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s office. Sanjay said on call, ‘Manisha there is a good role for you, just read the script.’ I was so happy. I had stopped dreaming about working with him," she said.
Earlier, Shekhar Suman had also spoken about the oral scene and how he was asked by Bhansali to 'turn the other way around' while performing the scene.
“He, (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) out of the blue, he probably thought that this is done to death kind of thing. Let me do it this way. So it’s about this Nawab, who is pissed drunk, is peeing out of a carriage pulled by Mallikajaan. And he is trying to, in his state of inebriation, trying to make it out with her. He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) said, ‘No, turn the other way around. And then he (Nawab Zulfikar) takes a fellatio, sort of an oral sex mid-air, thinking that Mallikajaan is sitting on that side. And he (Nawab Zulfikar) is convinced because he is nawab and he has turned. So Mallikajaan says, ‘What are you doing? I’m here.’ He says, ‘No. I know what I’m doing, and I know you are here.’ So, that was a very strange interpretation and that has not been done by any actor or director ever before that somebody is having sex mid-air. But done nicely," Shekhar Suman had told Zoom earlier.
Heeramandi is being like by many but a Pakistani doctor had criticised the series last week.
In her tweets, she mentioned how she couldn't find ‘real Heeramandi in the series’, which is being lauded for its larger-than-life sets and set-up.
"I just watched Heeramandi. I found everything but Heermandi in it. Either you don’t set your story in 1940’s Lahore, or if you do, you don’t set it in Agra’s landscape, Delhi’s Urdu, Lakhnavi dresses, and 1840’s vibe. My not-so-sorry Lahori self can’t really let it go," she tweeted.
Indian director Vivek Agnihotri had also supported her and tweeted: "Quoting Hamd's tweet, Vivek wrote: "Bollywood has the "tendency to romanticise courtesans and brothels.".
Sharing the tweets by Hamd Nawaz, Vivek wrote, "A brilliant critique by @_SophieSchol. I haven’t seen the show, but I have visited Heeramandi in Lahore a few times. Bollywood has this tendency to romanticise courtesans and brothels. It’s a sad commentary because brothels have never been places of opulence, glamour, or beauty. These are monuments to human injustice, pain, and suffering. Those unfamiliar with this should watch Shyam Benegal’s Mandi."
He further asked makers about taking too much liberty in the name of creativity.
"Also, a question we must ask: Does creativity give us the freedom to glamorise human suffering? Is it okay to make a film where slum life is depicted as a life of abundance? Is it okay to portray slum dwellers wearing clothes as if they are attending an Ambani wedding? "Please discuss," he further tweeted.
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is an eight-episode series directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and it also marks his OTT debut.
It is set in 1940s Lahore and talks about the lives of tawaifs against the backdrop of India’s independence movement. Heeramandi stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah Badussha, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman.
Heermandi premiered on May 1 on Netflix.
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