Bhansali Moves Richa Chadha Aside, Holds Sharmin Segal Close In Viral Video; Netizens Miffed

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s web series Heeramandi was released on Netflix earlier this month. While the web series received positive reviews, it soon became a talking point among audiences for its historical inaccuracies and casting choices. Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his niece, Sharmin Segal, who essays the role of Alamzeb in the series, especially bore the brunt of heavy critique by the viewers. Among this, a new video from the series’ premiere has surfaced on Reddit.

In the now-viral video, Richa Chadha greets Sanjay and joins in the cast photo. However, some netizens believe that Sanjay moved Richa aside to let Sharmin take centre stage. The video was posted on Reddit with the caption, “SLB greeting Richa and then moving her aside to make sure his niece is in the spotlight next to him.” Watch the video here:

Netizens flocked to the comments section to express their hot takes on the matter. One person said, “He is her maternal uncle. The Mama.” Another wrote, “I think Sharmin did move to the other side to let Richa stand with SLB but he pulled her towards the centre making the whole situation awkward.” Another comment read, “The body language .” One person wrote, “Sharmin’s not at fault here, she was moving aside to give space to Richa. Richa seemed to be standing next to SLB because he was still holding her hand after greeting her, he’s the one who made it awkward.”

However, some netizens also believed that the video was being taken out of context and Sanjay Leela Bhansali was not to be blamed. One comment read, “He’s not moving her at all, she put herself in front of his niece completely covering her for the photo.” Another added, “Well, actually, Richa shouldn’t have just stood in front of Sharmin and hid her completely.” Another comment read, “Lajjo Jaan never had a sense of space… she’s in character.”

Besides Richa Chadha and Sharmin Segal, Heeramandi also features Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari and Sanjeeda Sheikh in lead roles. The film also has Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah and Adhyayan Suman play nawabs or ‘sahibs’ to the tawaifs.

News18 gave the series 4.5/5 stars. Our review read, “Bhansali pens a near-perfect screenplay and it is this rich writing that already forms an impressive foundation for the show. Each character is written with a lot of courage, empathy and sensitivity. Here, each female character is so well-fleshed out, including those in the periphery, that they all deserve a spin-off of their own.”

“Apart from his masterful storytelling through maximalist aesthetic including the creation of some poetic vignettes where each frame appears to be a stunning piece of oil painting, Bhansali has also earned the affection and admiration of several film connoisseurs for his presentation of elaborate dance sequences. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that he has single-handedly kept the tradition of song-and-dance alive in Hindi cinema at a time when realism has been striving to take over. And so, Heeramandi doesn’t disappoint either. Sakal Ban is a gorgeous representation of the beauty and sisterhood that resides in Heeramandi. In fact, each of the woman, has a mujra sequence and all of them are mesmerising pieces,” the review also read.