Indresh Malik is basking in the acclaim for his work in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. In an interview with Times Now, the actor, who plays the character of a pimp named Ustaad Ji in the show, revealed that Sanjay Leela Bhansali was very impressed by his performance in the ‘nath scene’. He even gave him ₹500 as a token of appreciation.

What Indresh said

Sharing memories about that specific shot, Indresh said: “When Sanjay Sir explained the scene to me and when I performed it, I had no words to explain how it was. I had tears in my eyes. The scene for my character felt like, there was someone who accepted me, the one who gave me warmth. Wearing ‘nath’ means gaining respect. That moment when the scene was done, I was crying for almost five minutes or more. I can’t cry silently, so I howled. I was howling and crying like a child, there was a pin-drop silence.”

'Itna achha toh kiya!'

The actor added what happened next. “Sanjay Sir came to me. He said, ‘Dekho, rota jaa raha hai, itna achha toh kiya (Why are you crying, you did so well)!’ Then he hugged me and gave me ₹500 on the sets as a token of appreciation. I kept thinking about the character and that carried on for five minutes,” he added.

Heeramandi is directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and released on Netflix on May 1. The series explores the cultural setting of Heeramandi, a dazzling district, through the stories of courtesans and their patrons set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle of the 1940s. It stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh and Sharmin Segal in lead roles.

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