Amid Trolling Over Heeramandi Role, Sharmin Segal Faces Flak For 'Disrespecting' Sanjeeda Shaikh

Sharmin Segal has been receiving flak on the internet owing to her performance in the recently released web series Heeramandi, co-starring Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha and Aditi Rao Hydari. Following the backlash, several of her co-star and filmmaker Bhansali himself defended the actress’ casting in the show. Now, Sharmin has come under fire once again for her 'disrespectful' behaviour towards Sanjeeda Shaikh. 

Sharmin Segal’s new video goes viral

In a video shared on Reddit, a journalist asks Sanjeeda if she was scared by the notion of working with Bhansali. The actress said, “He is just a perfectionist. He wants everything to look not mediocre because whatever he does is nothing less than excellence. He is respected all around the world for his brilliant creative mind and incisive honesty towards his craft. He will expect his artist to give that honesty on screen. So I enjoyed all sorts of roops of Mr. Bhansali.”

However, contradicting her statement Sharmin added that perfectionist is “a very basic word” to describe SLB. She stated, “It’s the kind of a word that an outsider who has never worked with him, been on his set and seen the kind of director that he is will use. He adapts to change very well. He likes challenging himself with different things.” Sharmin's statement has sparked criticism from netizens, who accuse her of being "disrespectful" to Sanjeeda.

Internet’s reaction to Sharmin’s statement 

One user commented, “This is your (Sharmin) 3rd project. You have no experience, no talent, nothing. You are the one who’s least likely to accurately define what kind of director he is. The ego she has to not only cut off Sanjeeda (when she was directly asked that question by name) but to also insult her? someone who has almost two decades of experience over her.” Another one added, “Of course SLB isn’t a perfectionist in Sharmin’s eyes because he never demanded anything from her. No wonder she is surprised why other’s experiences are different from hers. The OUTSIDERS actually delivered note worthy performances.”

Billed as an epic saga of love, power, revenge and freedom, the series explores the cultural reality of Heeramandi, a dazzling district, through the stories of courtesans and their patrons set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle of the 1940s.