Fardeen Khan: ‘Wali Mohammad in Heeramandi is the perfect role for me to make a comeback’

After treating fans to songs, teasers, and first looks of its leading ladies, giving us a peek into the mesmerising world of Heermandi: The Diamond Bazaar — Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first outing in the world of OTT — the makers recently introduced the audience to the men of Heeramandi. What took everyone by surprise was the first look of the character Wali Mohammad played by Fardeen Khan, who is making his return to acting after a 14-year hiatus. As soon as the first-look poster of Fardeen’s character was revealed, fans couldn’t keep calm, and applauded the actor for his regal look and charisma. Fardeen, who was last seen in Dulha Mil Gaya in 2010, expressed his excitement and spoke about his comeback at the star-studded trailer launch of the series on Tuesday.

“It’s been a very long gap for me, it’s been almost 14 years. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity to work with this stellar star cast and a platform like Netflix and of course the man himself, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I couldn’t have hoped for a better opportunity as an actor to return to the screen,” said a grateful Fardeen.

He added that Bhansali’s characters are “intricate” which allows actors to “bring depth to the roles”. “For me, working in Heeramandi and with Sanjay Leela Bhansali is something I have never done before. There’s nobody who works with emotion the way Sanjay sir does because he has an intuitive understanding of them. The age that I am in, it was the perfect role for me to come back to the screen,” he added.

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Fardeen Khan also highlighted that working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali can be daunting but rewarding. “It’s daunting to work with him; at the same time, when you see it all together, it just all makes sense,” said the Fida actor, adding, “I’m getting emotional now!”

Starring a talented ensemble cast including Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman, Heeramandi is set to premiere on Netflix on May 1.

Amrita Prasad

Amrita Prasad is a senior copy editor and entertainment journalist at Indianexpress.com. A movie buff, Potterhead and melophile, she lives and breathes cinema and can't function without music. A post graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Calcutta, she has over 9+ years of experience in the field of news and journalism (print and online). She also enjoys writing newsy features, pop culture, music, gender, climate change and everything that Gen Zs do.  At Express, Amrita writes for the segment titled, Legends Retold. You can find her on X @WriterAmrita or write to her @ amrita.prasad@indianexpress.com. She is also on LinkedIn and Instagram. ... Read More