Manisha Koirala sat still for seven hours to get one shot right in Heeramandi, requested Bhansali to take her health into consideration after 12-hour shoots

 

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Manisha then requested for an Urdu dialect coach, who could help her get the tone right. “I did many sessions with Munira ji. She happens to be my neighbour so a couple of times when I would drop her home, we would practice my scenes and dialogues. My entire focus was on getting the diction right,” she revealed. 

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The actor also added that in the absence of any reference to play Mallikajaan, and her conscious effort to not repeat past performances, she started mapping the character’s psychology. “I tried to understand what her childhood trauma was, what were her disappointments, where is she scarred, what are her dreams and ambitions, what is that she wants,” Manisha said, adding that she drew from her grandmother, who was a dancer, to get Mallikajaan’s posture right.

 

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For one of the scenes, where henna is being applied to her hands, she sat for seven long hours to get the shot right. “I didn’t get up because I wanted the scene to be perfect and I kept sitting for seven hours because I wanted to navigate the character and understand her,” she revealed.   

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For the unversed, Manisha is a cancer survivor which meant taking on a project like this would prove daunting for her, physically. However, she wanted to be consumed by the process without compromising her well-being.  “I knew it would be demanding and I would be consumed by it and I wanted to be consumed by the entire process, but I also wanted to keep an eye on my health. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do it or if my body would take it. The makers were understanding. After 12 hours of shooting, we would stop. Sanjay understood my fear and anxiety and worked on them. Barring a few times, we didn’t shoot beyond 12 hours. Having said that, I also had the zeal to do it and I was willing to walk that extra mile for the character,” she added.