Actor Shekhar Suman spoke about a rather racy scene. This scene was performed in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut streaming series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. He said that the crew was initially shocked that Bhansali would want something like this in the show.
But, once the scene had been shot, they rushed over to thank Shekhar for nailing it in one go, because this way, Bhansali wouldn’t ‘go on and on’ until he was satisfied.
The scene features Shekhar’s insanely drunk nawab character riding in a carriage with Mallikajaan, played by Manisha Koirala. He approaches her, but he is too drunk to realise that she is seated. The nawab begins humping thin air, with his back turned to Mallikajaan.
The scene wasn’t Scripted
Shekhar claimed the scene was not scripted in an interview. And Bhansali asked for his permission and opinion first. Additionally, he stated that, as an actor, he attempted to highlight the character’s pathos even though the scene could have easily descended into broad comedy.
He said, “I went with all my preparation, having learned my lines. Just before the scene was supposed to begin, he called me over and said, ‘I have thought of a bizarre interpretation of this; are you open to it?’
“The scene is about a nawab who is peeing out of a carriage and, in his state of inebriation, is trying to make out with Mallikajaan. Bhansali wanted the nawab to turn around and get fellatio mid-air, thinking that Mallikajaan was sitting on that side. And he’s convinced. It was a strange interpretation, and it hadn’t been done by anybody before—someone having sex mid-air. He said, ‘I’m fine if you say no if you find it too bizarre’.”
‘Done in the first take’
But Shekhar jumped at the chance to do something unusual. He continued, “I said, ‘In this life, nothing is too bizarre; I’ll do it’. And it was done; first take.” He also added how all the technicians at the set rushed towards him and thanked him for doing it in one take.
“And it was pack-up after that. All the technicians came over and said, ‘Sir, thank you; otherwise, this would’ve gone on and on’. He’s a stickler. If an actor hadn’t caught the surf, it would’ve been another seven hours.”