‘Sanjay Leela Bhansali asked assistant directors to dance, told me to stand on the table’: Sonakshi Sinha on shooting Heeramandi song in one shot

 

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“I still can’t believe it happened and how quickly it happened. We had rehearsed the choreography and were supposed to shoot the song over four days. I shot till about 3 pm when Sanjay sir suddenly decided ‘Mujhe yeh nahi karna hai, kuch aur karna hai (I don’t want to do this. I want something else) and I was like ‘Excuse me?’” narrated Sonakshi during the trailer launch of Heermandi, in Delhi,  on Tuesday. 

The Dabangg actor recalls the director making his assistants break into random dance moves while he sat down and watched them casually.  “He sat down and one by one, called the assistant directors and made them dance to the song. We assumed he was just having a good time and entertaining himself but at around 7 pm, he suddenly told me, ‘You know what, do what this guy (one of the ADs) did here and then get on to the table and do the ‘junglee dance’ which you’re good at anyway. Idhar aakar chair pakad lena, phir yeh log tumhara pair dabayenge and uske baad tum uth kar jana aur hook step karna (Come this way and sit on the chair, the background dancers will press your feet and then you get up do the hook step),” shares Sonakshi, adding that it made her nervous and she was unprepared for this. “And that’s pretty much how the song was shot!” she exclaims. 

 

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Before they shot the song, Sonakshi assumed that it would be done in multiple shots and she would get enough to rehearse, but those who have worked with the Khamoshi: The Musical director would know that nothing on a Bhansali set goes as planned and one is never prepared for the surprises. She reminisces,  “I was taken aback when he told me, ’Nahin, nahi, yeh ek hi shot mein karna hai’ (I want to do it in one single take) and I instantly told myself, ’Never in my career have I shot a song in a single take and when it is happening, how can it happen in a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film? This can’t happen!’ I told him that I needed to rehearse it a couple of times before I could pull this off but he was quite confident and encouraging and believed in me.  It was his faith in me which pushed me to give my absolute best shot and it was okayed in the first take. It was surreal (sic).”

For the unversed, Sonakshi starred in the 2012 film, Rowdy Rathore which was produced by Bhansali.  “He’s been very fond of me since I worked with him in Rowdy Rathore. We’ve been trying to do something together. But I’m so happy that it happened with Heeramandi because nothing can top the role he gave me in Heeramandi. I feel truly blessed that the director has seen me and presented me to the world like nobody has seen me before (sic),”  says the 36-year-old.  

Sonakshi Sinha as Fareedan. (Instagram/aslisona)

The trailer of Heermandi shows Sonkashi step into the role of a powerful tawaif in the magnum opus, revealing her dark side as her eyes pierce through huge eyes piece right through the screen. Sonakshi, who is grateful for the part which, she hopes will change filmmakers and casting directors perception of her as an actor adds, “What more does a girl have to do? I have been trying to prove time and again ki main acchi actor hoon bhai! (I have been trying to prove that I am a good actor) (sic).” 

Sonakshi’s Heermandi character is dark. (Instagram/aslisona)

The actor’s thriller series, Dahaad, which saw Sonakshi play a cop, was appreciated by critics and fans alike. Helmed by Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi, the character gave the actress a scope to be different and experiment with her role. “While my experiences with every filmmaker have made me the actor I am today and made me worthy of being part of Heeramandi, har ek actor is ek bhookh hoti hai ki director usse ek alag nazariye se dekhe jaise pehle kabhi kisi ne nahin dekha ho (Every actor wants to work with a director who sees them in a way nobody has ever seen before) and Sanjay sir did exactly that. It also happened in Dahaad where Reema Kagti pictured me in a role nobody had seen me doing before. They both empowered me as an actor,” says Sonakshi, who adds that her mission is to work with directors who look at her and project her in parts that are nothing like her previous works. “I want to do roles that project powerful characters onscreen. It was been my agenda for the past couple of years,” she adds.  

Starring Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman, Heeramandi is set to premiere on Netflix on May 1