Sonakshi Sinha exclusive interview: ‘The entire set broke into standing ovation after the first take in Tilasmi Bahein’ | Bollywood

Sonakshi Sinha is ready to take on strong female protagonists and surprise her audience with each new role. The actor plays Fareedan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi – The Diamond Bazaar. It marks the first collaboration of her with Bhansali, whom she calls the ‘most elaborate’ filmmaker of our times. In this exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Sonakshi sat down to talk about playing Fareedan in the highly anticipated series, creating that single-shot sequence in the song Tilasmi Bahein, and more. Excerpts. (Also read: Richa Chadha exclusive interview: ‘Lajjo is very different than what people expect of me’)

Your character Fareedan in Heeramandi has this fierce, unapologetic look. Tell me a little bit about how you created this character in collaboration with Bhansali.

This is a character I have been waiting to do for a very long time. I have always wanted to play a slightly negative, slightly villainous character, and I am really thankful to Sanjay sir that he saw me in this role. I don’t know how or why, but I guess that’s just his trust in me as an actor that I will be able to pull it off. It is really encouraging for an actor when a filmmaker like him imagines you and tries to portray you in a way that nobody has ever seen you before. So I am so grateful. It has been one of my most favourite characters that I have portrayed on screen.

Just to get into how Fareedan was… she is poles apart from me. She is full of vengeance and hatred and anger and all the negative feelings. The beauty about Sanjay sir and the way he portrays his women is that he makes them so relatable… he justifies their feelings. Once everyone sees the series, they will understand why Fareedan is the way she is. What she has been through… why she acts out in this way. I really had a blast playing her. The costumes, the jewellery, everything so well taken care of… The eyes are of my own! I got it from my mumma! (laughs) It all just came together to make one beautiful character on screen and I really enjoyed playing her.

So many actors over the years have shared how Sanjay Leela Bhansali is able to extract these memorable performances out of them, about his attention to detail. Talk to me about your experience on set and your dynamic with him.

Sanjay sir has always been very fond of me. He has produced a film of mine, called Rowdy Rathore, which released in 2012. It was my second film! As a producer, he is very non-interfering, and because he is a filmmaker himself, he gives another director absolute freedom to make a film how he wants to. So over there, it was not much of an interaction but I remember he was always very fond of me. Over the years, we have been trying to collaborate on stuff but unfortunately… or fortunately now (smiles) that I have done Fareedan… it never worked out. I am really glad that he came to me with this character and this series. It is his biggest project to date.

When you see the scale and grandeur… it is a series of 8 episodes, which is like doing 3 and a half films with him. So, I think I really got lucky and made up for all the lost time. As a filmmaker, he is really someone who brings out the best in you. He is someone who really appreciates and nurtures talent, who is excitable like a child when he sees an actor living out his vision. I was a little bit on the edge before, because I didn’t know how he would be and I had heard that how he really pushes people to their limits and I am completely opposite in my style of work as I am really easy-breezy. I know how particular and focused he is on perfection. I didn’t know how we were both going to work together, but I kid you not, it was meant to be! (smiles)

Tell me about your song Tilasmi Bahein! It is unlike anything we’ve ever seen you do, where you have this long sequence in a single take. Talk to me about that day on set when you shot it and how it was planned out.

I was not prepared at all! He changed the whole choreography on set! I had rehearsed for something completely different and we had kept four days aside to shoot that particular song. We went for the shoot on the first day and we shot for a few hours and I did the choreography which was planned. Suddenly he got up and was like, ‘I don’t want to do this! I want to shoot the whole song in one take and let us design it right now!’

That’s when it happened so I had no time to prepare. I had to learn the lyrics right there… because in cuts one does parts and it is easy to remember 2-3 lines. But now I had to learn the whole song and it just happened while I was listening to it because the song is so catchy, thankfully! I don’t know what hit me because I had not done a one-shot song in my entire career and there I was, doing a one shot song for Sanjay Leela Bhansali! Who is like the most elaborate, most amazing filmmaker we have seen! I was feeling the pressure, I won’t lie! But I love performing and when the camera comes on, I become the character. So, I just told myself, ‘Forget who you are! In this moment, give it all that you have got. You are Fareedan, forget Sonakshi!’ That’s what I went in and did, and we did four takes but the take that you see is the first take that we did! (smiles)

I don’t know how it happened, that day was just magical! I still can’t believe it and once that first take was over, the entire set broke into a standing ovation, including Sanjay sir! I don’t think I have seen him so happy and ecstatic ever! Even he couldn’t believe it and he was like, ‘You don’t know what you have done! You don’t know what caliber of an actor you are!’ I was like, ‘Is this man really going all out in his praise for me!’ I couldn’t believe it, it was just magical. It is the beauty of when an actor and director are so much in sync with each other and they create something beautiful.

Heeramandi also boasts such a find ensemble of actors, with Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, and we see your character face Manisha Koirala’s character…

It has been one of the best experiences of my life to be able to work with such wonderful actors. We really took back some wonderful friendships. On set, the atmosphere was very supportive. It was a tough shoot and we were all there for each other. We stood by each other. I have done some beautiful scenes with Manisha [Koirala] ma’am, with Aditi [Rao Hydari], with Sanjeeda [Shaikh]. When you have a good actor in front of you, you feed off each other’s energy. You strive to do better.

Richa [Chadha] and me, unfortunately don’t have any scenes together. But I had such a nice time getting to know her and she is a wonderful person. I hope that we get to work together in the future. She is phenomenal as Lajjo in the series.

In a recent interview, you said how Bhansali had told you ‘Aapko maalum nahi ap kaise actor ho!’ and that you had that ‘namak,’ but you did not know what that meant! Now that you have worked with him in Heeramandi, do you realise what he meant by that? Now, with your work in Dahaad and Heeramandi, do you hope other directors also see the ‘namak’ in you as an actor?

I think by giving me Fareedan, Sanjay sir has given me ‘mirchi’! (laughs) Fareedan is full ‘mirchi’! She is only putting mirchi everywhere she goes! But yes, I guess I now know what he was really speaking about. For me, as an actor in the last 7-8 years, it has been a constant effort to do different roles, portray very strong female characters on screen.

Right from Akira, when I took that first step to move away from the commercial, masala potboilers and shoulder films on my own. It has been a constant effort to play amazing characters that are different from each other. Luckily with my first OTT outing, I had Dahaad, and now Heeramandi, which has been 2 big shows. I am truly blessed to be a part of them and portray these two beautiful characters. My efforts will continue to play strong female protagonists and give the audience a Sonakshi that they have never seen before! (smiles)

Heeramandi – The Diamond Bazaar releases on Netflix India on May 1.

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