Sanjay Leela Bhansali's debut web series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, has been garnering much love from the audience. While people are in awe of SLB's vision of opulence, they are also mesmerised by the acting of all the characters in the series. Not just the main leads, but the character artists, too, did a phenomenal job, and one such actor was Indresh Malik.
Indresh Malik essayed the role of 'Ustaad Ji' in the web series, who was a trans man. The character was quite challenging to play, but Indresh did it with utmost perfection. Although 'Ustaad Ji' was a supporting character but the way the story panned out, 'Ustadji' turned out to be one of the most important characters of the series.
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Indresh Malik played the role of a trans man in Heeramandi, and we all know about the taboo that comes along with the identity of a non-binary. In one scene, Sonakshi's character made him wear a naath as a symbol of acceptance and respect. The scene was extremely sensitive and powerful and had no dialogue in it. All the acting had to be done with the eyes and talking about the scene, Indresh added:
"When Sanjay Sir explained the scene to me and when I performed it, I had no words to explain how it was. I had tears in my eyes. The scene for my character felt like there was someone who accepted me, the one who gave me warmth. Wearing 'nath' means gaining respect. That moment when the scene was done, I was crying for almost five minutes or more. I can't cry silently, so I howled. I was howling and crying like a child, there was a pin-drop silence."
Indresh added that after seeing him cry like that, Sanjay Leela Bhansali came and hugged him. SLB then gave him Rs. 500 as a token of appreciation for nailing the naath scene. However, Indresh kept wailing for the next five minutes, thinking about the scene. In his words:
"Sanjay Sir came to me. He said, ‘Dekho, rota jaa raha hai, itna achha toh kiya! Then he hugged me and gave me Rs. 500 on the sets as a token of appreciation. I kept thinking about the character, and that carried on for five minutes."
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In an interview with Bollywood Now, Indresh Malik shared that during shooting an intimate sequence with Sonakshi Sinha, the latter's mother, Poonam Sinha, was present. He added that the presence of Poonam made him self-conscious, but Sonakshi pacified him and made him comfortable, after which they successfully shot the scene. Indresh further added:
"During one scene, Sonakshi ji had to grab my head with her legs. Her mother Poonam Sinha ji was also present, which made me a bit self-conscious. However, Sonakshi reassured me. She told me not to be conscious, asked me to relax, made me comfortable, and said she will do the necessary. I have such lovely memories from the show's set."
Let us know your views on Indresh Malik's revelations.
Next Read: Priyanka Chopra Sends Congratulatory Wishes To Sanjay Leela Bhansali For The Success Of 'Heeramandi'
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