Manisha Koirala On Battling Depression During Heeramandi Shoot: “It Consumed Me”

New Delhi:

Manisha Koirala is currently basking in the success of her latest offering Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. In a recent conversation with NDTV, she opened up about her battle with depression and shared how it “consumed” her during the shoot of Heeramandi. Manisha said, “Being impacted by cancer, I know how important your body, mind and health are. How intertwined they are. How dependable they are. So sometimes when I’m in deep depression…Even now sometimes I go into depression. When I was doing Heeramandi, it consumed me so much. My mood swings were constantly fluctuating. And I just knew, ‘Sail through this phase and once this is out, focus on your health’.”

For the unversed, Manisha Koirala played the role of formidable “tawaif”, Mallikajaan in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.

During the series’ trailer launch event in Delhi, Manisha Koirala spoke about reuniting with Sanjay Leela Bhansali after more than two decades. She said, “I waited 28 years for Sanjay to call me and it’s been a pleasure. It’s an honour to be working with that genius. A lot of hard work and pyaar mohabbat has gone into making Heermandi. We have made the show with so much love, and we expect you all to love it.”

While speaking about her character Mallikajaan in Heeramandi, Manisha Koirala said, ” Mallikajaan is unlike any other character that I have played in the past. It was possible only because of a genius like Sanjay Leela Bhansali who was behind the camera. He directed each of us so minutely and with a lot of detail that we looked so good. We don’t know what we have done. He extracts it from you. I have always been a director’s actor, and cinema is a director’s medium, but when you’re on a Bhansali set, you have to give your extra.”

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, set against the backdrop of British India, delves into the intricate dynamics of Mallikajaan’s domain as she navigates challenges triggered by the return of Fareedan (Sonakshi Sinha), her late nemesis daughter. The series also stars Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, and Sanjeeda Shaikh, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, and Taha Shah.

The period drama has garnered substantial viewership on Netflix, securing the second position on the platform’s weekly top 10 list for non-English language shows during its premiere week.