Sharmin Segal says she tried to bring Meena Kumari’s ‘nothingness’ to her Heeramandi performance

In a recent interview, Sharmin Segal claimed that she watched the Meena Kumari-starrer Pakeezah (1972) to draw inspiration for her performance in Heeramandi.

Meena Kumari's stepson Tajdar Amrohi reacted to Sharmin Segal comparing her performance to the late actor's iconic role in Pakeezah. (Photo: Bhansali Productions Instagram/IMDb)

Actor Sharmin Segal, who has been in the spotlight ever since the release of Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, has opened up about the immense criticism and trolling that she has received for her performance in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali web series. In a recent interview, Sharmin claimed that she was inspired by Meena Kumari’s acting in Pakeezah (1972), and was was trying to evoke a similar emotion in her performance as the tragic Alamzeb.

Talking about how she prepared for her role in the Netflix series, Sharmin Segal told ETimes that she trained in dance and diction, and praised Bhansali for elevating the material with his signature touch. She said that she ‘tried’ watching Pakeezah ’15-16 times’, but took a while to get through it because it was unlike anything she’d seen before. “Meena Kumari was one of my inspirations,” she said, highlighting the ‘nothingness’ of her performance.

Sharmin, who was massively trolled for her “expressionless” acting in the period drama series, spoke about the negative reactions.

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She said that human beings possess a multitude of emotions, and that’s what makes characters like Alamzeb interesting. She said that at the end of the day, she is grateful that audiences are ‘noticing’ her, and is happy to have received the opportunity. “People will say what they have to say. They have the right to do that. Being a creative person, you are putting yourself out there for people to perceive you, right? Then they will say what they have to say,” she said, pointing out that she has also received ‘immense’ appreciation for her performance. “And then I go back and think, how can I ignore so many people reaching out to me and giving me so much love? Giving Alamzeb and the show so much love,” she said.

Sharmin claimed that it’s one thing for parents to say, “good job beta”, but it’s another thing altogether to receive praise from audiences across the globe. Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazar was released on Netflix on May 1. The show also stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Richa Chadha, and Fardeen Khan, among others.

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