Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, made its debut on Netflix. Important characters are played by Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Sharmin Sehgal, Richa Chadha, and Sanjeeda Sheikh in the production, which also marks the director’s OTT debut. Aditi Rao Hydari talked about how Sanjay Leela Bhansali kept her eager for a scene in a recent interview. “One day, Sanjay sir kept me hungry because I had to do a scene that was full of fire,” the actress claimed. “Aaj khana mat khana [don’t eat today],” he added, and it let me understand the injustice that was burning inside of me. Aditi Rao Hydari also opened up about the time when the director offered her amazing food at his place. She shared, “In between the lockdowns, I went to meet him (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) because I was missing him. The first thing he said was, ‘Kitni patli ho gayi hai, khaana khao!’ So he fed me.” Sharing her experience of working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Aditi Rao Hydari expressed, “There’s always music playing in his head, and quite often, he gives it to his actors as well when he’s directing. Contrary to popular belief, he gives his actors a lot of space. He wants them to find their magic.” “He’s (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) so inspired by everything around him—human emotion, art, music, dance—that he constantly wants to better himself. So the team is inspired by his vision to keep running with him. He effortlessly manages to push you where you didn’t believe you could go. He teaches you without actually sitting down with a danda,” Aditi Rao Hydari added.
