Recently, Sonakshi Sinha opened up about rumours of an on-set rivalry amongst the lead cast of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar'.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar has caused quite a stir among the public ever since it was released on May 1, 2024, on Netflix. The series stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Sharmin Segal in lead roles. Sonakshi, who played a double role in the series, recently opened up about on-set rivalry.
Sonakshi, who portrayed ‘Rehana’ and her daughter, ‘Fareedan’, in Heeramandi, rubbished rumours of female rivalry on the series' sets. In an interview with India Today, the actress said that Heeramandi was an amazing experience and that she had a great time working with everyone. Asking if anyone has the capability of doing a six-hero film, Sonakshi said:
“You know, women don't do that, right? And whoever probably started this rumour is a very disgruntled man. 'Heeramandi' was an amazing experience for all of us. I mean, it has been one of the best working experiences of my life. I mean, try and get a six-hero film together, and I challenge you!”
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Sonakshi further shared that the filmmaker gave each of the actresses equal screen time, making it much easier for all of them to work smoothly on the series. Moreover, the actress also said that SLB presented each one of them beautifully, giving each one of them their importance in such a vast story.
Furthermore, Sonakshi reiterated that she thoroughly enjoyed working with the entire lead cast, and also said that they were there for each other during the entirety of the shoot. The actress added that all of them kind of surrendered to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s vision, hence it was easier for them to work together. In her words:
“We all really enjoyed working with each other. We were there for each other. We supported each other because it's not an easy set to be on. I think we worked so beautifully with each other was because we all kind of surrendered to him and his vision. We all came together to execute one man's vision, and it was very harmonious."
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Heeramandi explores the lives of ‘tawaif’ or courtesans in pre-independent India in the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore. Apart from the larger-than-life set and opulent outfits of the characters, Heeramandi’s cast salary would leave you stunned. For the series, Sonakshi reportedly was the highest-paid, charging Rs. 2 crore for her double role. Manisha Koirala and Richa Chadha received the second-highest remuneration. They were paid Rs. 1 crore each. Meanwhile, Aditi also received somewhere between Rs. 1-1.5 crore. While Sharmin Sehgal was paid an estimated sum of Rs. 35 lakh, Sanjeeda Sheikh charged Rs. 40 lakh.
What are your thoughts on Sonakshi Sinha’s revelations about female rivalry on Heeramandi’s sets?
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