"She was right for Alamzeb; not because she is my niece": SLB on Sharmin facing flack for her performance in Heeramandi

Maverick director Sanjay Leela Bhansali made his debut on OTT with Heeramandai. The series is set in the pre-independence era, Heermandi revolves around the lives of tawaifs (courtesans) in the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore, Pakistan. Needless to say, SLB's Heeramandi is a visual delight with a larger-than-life set, heavy costumes and jewellery that will leave you spellbound.

The series has gotten mixed reactions from netizens; a section of fans loved it and are praising SLB's cinematic brilliance.

SLB on Sharmin facing flack for her performance in Heeramandi

However, amid all the mixed reviews, SLB's niece, Sharmin Segal who essayed the role of Alamzeb, has been criticized by a major section of the audience for her performance in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. Several netizens called her acting 'expressionless'.

Earlier, Sharmin had revealed during The Great Indian Kapil Show that she gave 16 auditions for Heeramandi. Now, director SLB himself has opened up about the casting decision and why he felt Sharmin was the right choice for the character.

Bhansali on Sharmim's Facing Backlash

In an interview with India Today, Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, "She has a face of what Alamzeb should be - somebody who doesn't want to be a tawaif or has no makings of it. You needed somebody with very fresh, innocent quality to her, somebody who doesn't talk like a tawaif. And that person wants to break free with some pursuit of wanting to write poetry. So, I felt that Sharmin was the correct choice for Alamzeb."

Bhansali added, "I didn't cast her because she's my niece. She had to go through the grind. There were innumerable number of tests and auditions. There was no end to the number of tests I've done with her. After I've decided to cast her, then I said you have to go through the grind, you have to get it right. Because this is a world, you've never been to. You've never acted in a world like that. All these other actors on the show have worked over the period of time in a film like this or a character like this. They have understood all these nazakat and thumka and nakhra and all that."

Speaking about Sharmin's acting, Sanjay Leela Bhansali in an interview with HT City, said, "She kept saying, 'Mama, I'll underplay.' I said, 'Underplay? Are you thinking I'm going to ask you to overplay?"

He added, "I know that they (the new generation of actors) love me as much. I can see it in the way (they ask me), 'Are you happy? Should we do one more take? Can we do it one more time? Are you okay? I can see that love in their eyes. Now that's very rare."

Heeramandi was dropped on May 1, the cast includes Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman.