Manisha Koirala with Rekha and Farida Jalal. (courtesy: m_koirala)
The screening of the Netflix show Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar on Wednesday was a star-studded affair, with some of the film industry's biggest names in attendance. We caught several glimpses of the glam affair on Manisha Koirala's Instagram timeline. A case in point is the special picture that she shared with her Heeramandi co-star, veteran actress Farida Jalal. While Manisha Koirala plays one of the headlining roles in Heeramandi, Farida Jalal is also seen briefly in the trailer. In the image shared on Instagram Stories, Farida Jalal and Manisha are seated next to each other. Joining them is the evergreen Rekha. All three stars are dressed in their traditional best, matching the aesthetics of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali series.
The official Instagram page of Netflix too has shared some images from the big night. The carousel features an image of Farida Jalal and Sharmin Segal sharing a hug. Also seen in the album are a plethora of stars including Alia Bhatt, Soni Razdan, Neetu Kapoor, Kapil Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari, Siddharth, Vicky Kaushal, Karan Johar, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal, among others. The caption read: “Hearts won, memories made on a royal night to remember.”
Here are some more images of Farida Jalal at the event:
At the trailer launch of the show, Manisha Koirala spoke about working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali after 28 years. The actress played the lead role in the director's debut project Khamoshi: The Musical in 1996, alongside Nana Patekar, Salman Khan, and Seema Biswas. “I waited 28 years for Sanjay to call me and it's been a pleasure. It's an honour to be working with that genius. A lot of hard work and pyaar mohabbat has gone into making Heeramandi," she said adding: "We have made the show with so much love, and we expect you all to love it.”
About her role, Manisha Koirala said: “Mallikajaan is unlike any other character that I have played in the past. It was possible only because of a genius like Sanjay Leela Bhansali who was behind the camera. He directed each of us so minutely and with a lot of detail that we looked so good. We don't know what we have done. He extracts it from you. I have always been a director's actor, and cinema is a director's medium, but when you're on a Bhansali set, you have to give your extra.”
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is a story set in British India, focusing on Mallikajaan's (Manisha Koirala) challenges when Fareedan (Sonakshi Sinha), her old rival's daughter, returns. The series stars Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, and Sanjeeda Shaikh, along with Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, and Taha Shah.
The show will be available for streaming on Netflix from May 1.