Manisha Koirala is presently awaiting the release of her magnum opus web show, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. The actress will be seen playing a courtesan Mallikajaan in the series, created by maverick filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The trailer of Heeramandi has given us a glimpse of the actress' character Mallikajaan, who comes across as a fierce woman. But what went into preparing for this character? In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, the 53-year-old actress discussed her role at length and revealed the element she added to Mallikajaan's character.

Manisha Koirala on playing Mallikajaan in Heeramandi

Speaking exclusively with us, Manisha Koirala shed light on her character Mallikajaan from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. The actress told OTTplay that when she or any other actor is preparing for his/her character in SLB's projects, the filmmaker minutely observes everything.

"The keen eyes that he has got, one has to just understand what he is looking at and how he wants to show a character, for eg. Mallikajaan. Once you grasp that as an actor, you bring in your own element," said Manisha.

The actress further mentioned, "I wanted to bring a human aspect to Mallikajaan because she is such a huge antagonist. Honestly, after discussing with the director, as he has to agree with what you are doing and after you have understood what he's trying to tell, you bring in some elements as an actor. No matter how cruel she is, I wanted to bring a human aspect to her. It isn't that she is an out-and-out evil character, (but) I thought iska kuch human element lana chahiye."

Manisha Koirala says one cannot ignore Mallikajaan

Continuing her conversation with OTTplay, Manisha Koirala said Mallikajaan is bitter and has gone off the hook, "But at the same time... you don't know whether to love Mallikajaan or to hate her but you definitely cannot ignore her."

The actress added that she put in every element that was needed for her character but under the strict guidance of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. 

"I know the kind of person and director he is. When you are working with a director like him, half of your job is already done by the director because he has already thought of (how the character should be). Even if he brings a duh actress, she will also look phenomenal and lagega ki she can also act," said Manisha while signing off.

How excited are you to see Manisha Koirala as Mallikajaan in Heeramandi? Tweet @ottplayapp and share your thoughts! The show releases on May 1 on Netflix.

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