When Heeramandi Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali Asked Aditi Rao Hydari Not To Lose Weight For This Song

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Aditi Rao Hydari is getting all the love for playing Bibbojaan, a courtesan, in Heeramandi. Particularly, the star’s Gajagamini walk aka swan walk from the song Saiyaan Hatto Jaao, is making all the right noises on social media. Speaking about her experience, Aditi shared how director Sanjay Leela Bhansali advised her not to lose weight. In a conversation with Zoom TV, the actress recalled, “He (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) said that he wanted that dupatta to fall on a particular beat, the head to turn and the ‘chann‘ (sound of the ghungroo) to come exactly on the beat, so it was all his thought and his creation. Also, when I had put on the Ghagra, Sanjay Sir told me that I had put on weight. I asked him to give me 10 days since it was post Covid. He said, ‘No you look beautiful. Let’s shoot.’ I really value that. That’s why I say he is an incredible teacher.”

Talking about the now-viral walk, Aditi Rao Hydari added, “I want to ask somebody, Sanjay sir, my dance teacher, what is it? Is it the Gajagamini walk, the swan walk? What walk is that I don’t know! I’ll say it was what Sanjay sir asked me to do. I followed Sanjay sir and what he told me. I know in Kathak there is Mayur chaal (peacock walk), then there is Gajagamini (walk of seduction), but I am sure it is in all the dance forms but I don’t know, I should find out. Whatever I see on Instagram, Reel upon Reel, the whole viral nature of that tukda (piece) is so overwhelming. He (Sanjay) is very good at spotting magic on the spot and he created a lot of nuances in the process.”

Earlier, in an interview with Rediff.com, Aditi Rao Hydari revealed how Sanjay Leela Bhansali once kept her hungry for a scene. Aditi shared, “One day, Sanjay sir kept me hungry because I had to do a scene which was full of fire. He said, ‘Aaj khana mat khana [Don’t eat today]’, and that helped me get that simmering sense of injustice.”

The actress also recounted the time when the filmmaker offered her food at his place. She shared, “In between the lockdowns, I went to meet him (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) because I was missing him. The first thing he said was, ‘Kitni patli ho gayi hai, khaana khao!‘ So he fed me.”

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar marks the debut OTT project of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The show premiered on Netflix on May 1. Manisha Koirala, Sharmin Segal, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Richa Chadha, and Sonakshi Sinha also play pivotal roles in the series.