Aditi Rao Hydari, who garnered immense love and applauds for her performance in ‘Heeramandi‘, recently recalled the times when Sanjay Leela Bhansali kept her starving to shoot rousing scenes with real emotions.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the newly married actress spoke about her experience with dancing for the film, mentioning that her two mujras were a significant challenge. Having grown up dancing, she was familiar with Bharatnatyam, but mujra was a different style. She trained in Kathak, particularly under Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s guidance, whose perfectionism pushed her to get every detail right, keeping her up at night with the pressure to meet his high expectations.
She also mentioned that for the scenes where she had to deliver powerful speeches, Sanjay Leela Bhansali had her fast for a day. While these scenes didn’t come naturally to her, she gladly embraced the challenge, as it helped her connect with the character, jokingly referring to it as “hangry help.”She shared that she was having difficulty with the scenes, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali used to tease her, saying that if he asked her to perform a powerful scene, she would end up making it look like a decorative or romantic scene instead. As a result, he told her not to eat, and that’s how it all came together.
Aditi Rao Hydari portrayed Bibbojaan, a talented dancer and singer who was secretly involved in the independence movement, in Heeramandi. The series received mixed reviews upon its release. A few weeks later, the makers confirmed a sequel, but further details about it remain undisclosed.