Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi became one of the most viewed Indian shows on Netflix. However, in-spite of all actors on-board getting praised for their performances, Sharmin Segal was criticised for her acting skills on social media. The actor in an earlier interview had said that she took inspiration from Meena Kumari's 'nothingness' in Pakeezah while playing her character in Heeramandi. Now, the late actor' stepson Tajdar Amrohi has strongly reacted to Sharmin's statement and said that Pakeezah shouldn't be compared with Heeramandi.

Kamal Amrohi's son contradicts Sharmin Segal's statement

In an interview with Zoom TV, Tajdar opined, “ Zameen aasman ka fark hai between ‘Heeramandi’ and ‘Pakeezah’ (There is a difference of earth and sky between them). Don’t compare the two. Nobody can make ‘Pakeezah’ again. Neither Meena Kumari nor Kamal Amrohi can ever be born again. I don't want to say much about this since Bhansali is a big fan of my father Kamal Amrohi. In every film of his, Bhansali tries to take shot in a very similar way as my father did. Once, he had come to Kamalistan Studio, he asked where my Dad used to sit, where my Dad walked. Out of great respect, he touched the ground where my Dad sat. That was 15 years ago, and after that I never met him again. I must say here that each one of of us has an individual taste. This all is my opinion. There might be people who have liked Heeramandi more than Pakeezah."

He further said, “I don't know Sharmin.  But no, I can't relate to her statement on nothingness.” For the unversed, Sharmin, in an interview with ETimes had stated that, “Meena Kumari was one of my inspirations. I tried to bring Meena Kumari’s nothingness from Pakeezah into my character in Heeramandi.” 

Richa Chadha on her tribute to Meena Kumari in Heeramandi

Apart from Sharmin, her co-star Richa Chadha had also spoken about paying tribute to Meena Kumari with her dance performnance in Heeramandi. In an interview with Pinkvilla, Richa pointed out, “Carefully observing, learning from and taking lessons from Meena Kumari ji's character in Pakeezah was a truly enriching and deeply transforming experience for me ahead of shooting for Heeramandi. n the movie, Paakezah, Meena Kumari’s character has a certain tragic depth and complexity that resonated with Lajjo, the character that I play in the show. I worked on the voice and diction, while studying Meena ji’s work, to the point of imitation sometimes.” She also said, “I felt like I was walking in the footsteps of a cinematic legend, and it was an honor to pay tribute to Meena Kumari ji through my portrayal of Lajjo.”

About Heeramandi

Heeramandi's title is based on the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore (present-day Pakistan) during pre-partition era. Set in the backdrop of Indian independence revolution, the series depicts the power struggle between the courtesans of Heera Mandi, the Nawabs and the British officers. Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Richa Chadha, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, Fardeen Khan and others play crucial roles in Heeramandi.

Heeramandi has been renewed for the second season.

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