Legendary actress Meena Kumari's legacy continues to spark conversation. Sharmin Segal, star of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's series Heeramandi, drew criticism for her performance despite the show's overall success. In a previous interview, Sharmin cited Meena Kumari's portrayal of "nothingness" in the classic film Pakeezah as an inspiration for her character in Heeramandi. However, Meena Kumari's stepson, Tajdar Amrohi, has expressed strong disagreement with this comparison.
Speaking to Zoom TV, Amrohi asserted, “Zameen aasman ka fark hai between ‘Heeramandi’ and Pakeezah (There is a difference of earth and sky between them). Don’t compare the two. Nobody can make Pakeezah again. Neither Meena Kumari nor Kamal Amrohi can ever be born again.”
He further added, “I don't want to say much about this since Bhansali is a big fan of my father Kamal Amrohi. In every film of his, Bhansali tries to take shots in a very similar way as my father did. Once, he had come to Kamalistan Studio, he asked where my Dad used to sit, where my Dad walked. Out of great respect, he touched the ground where my Dad sat. That was 15 years ago, and after that I never met him again. I must say here that each one of of us has an individual taste. This all is my opinion. There might be people who have liked Heeramandi more than Pakeezah.”
He concluded by saying, “I don't know Sharmin. But no, I can't relate to her statement on nothingness.” For the unversed, Sharmin, in an interview with ETimes stated that, “Meena Kumari was one of my inspirations. I tried to bring Meena Kumari’s nothingness from Pakeezah into my character in Heeramandi.”
Coming to the Netflix show, it is set against the backdrop of India's independence struggle, and explores the lives of courtesans in Heera Mandi, Lahore, during the pre-partition era. The series boasts a star-studded cast including Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, and Aditi Rao Hydari, and has been renewed for a second season.
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Adhyayan Suman offers advice to Heeramandi co-star Sharmin Segal after performance criticism; says, “It is important to not live in a bubble and accept reality”
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