Shekhar Suman recalls Sanjay Leela Bhansali Bhansali’s “bizarre” reshoot of Heeramandi intimate scene: “Not been done by any actor or director”

Shekhar Suman, who portrays Nawab Zulfikar in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, recently shared insights into a memorable scene from the show’s first episode. The scene features an unusual interpretation by Bhansali that left a lasting impression.

Shekhar, in conversation with Zoom, discussed how SLB dramatically altered the originally scripted scene during filming. He explained, “Normally like any other actor, I just went completely prepared with my line what was given to me with my own interpretation. When the scene was just about to begin, he called me and said, ‘I have thought of a bizarre interpretation of this. Are you open to it?’ I said, ‘Yes’, and he completely turned it around and it was something that nobody had thought.”

Shekhar further added, “He, (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) out of the blue, he probably thought that this is a 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.”

Suman elaborated, “He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) said, ‘No, turn the other way around. And then he (Nawab Zulfikar) takes a fellatio, sort of an oral s*x 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 s*x mid-air. But done nicely.”

Shekhar continued, “I did that. As I said, I did that very instinctively and he came running and said, ‘Magnificent, magnificent.’ So that was it. It was a pack-up after that and all the technicians came running and said, ‘Thank you. Otherwise, this scene would have gone on and on because of the way he is. He is a stickler. If any other actor had not caught the sur, then it would be another 6 hours, 7-8 hours. But it just happens so right because I know that the person who is standing in front of me, what he has explained to me, and what I have assimilated the outcome is going to be just right.”

Shekhar Suman has also shared a video of this scene on Instagram.

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