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Mallika Jaan aka Manisha Koirala admits having mood swings on the Heeramandi sets: Know the reason why?
Upon its release on 1st May 2024, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar has oozed and whacked the Indian period drama fanatics, especially the ones who long for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's breathtaking grandeur finesse. The whopping drama series has roped off some of the most ethereal characters portrayed by the Indian actresses, and been able to impress audiences like absolutely none. Among the grand cast ensemble, Bollywood's veteran actress, Manisha Koirala seemed to make an ethereal comeback after a long long gap. The actress played the pivotal role of Mallika Jaan, who ruled the then Heeramandi of Lahore. But do you know, the actress fought a long battle with depression earlier and even felt mood swings during the Heeramandi shoot?
Recently, during an interview with a renowned media forum, Mallika Jaan aka Koirala opened up about her long battle with Cancer and the after-effects of the disease that has impacted her whole life, both physically and mentally, which eventually led her to suffer from depression too. As per her recent revelation, the prolific actress even felt her demons on the SLB's sets as well. "Impacted by cancer, I know how body and mind health are intertwined," she said. Speaking about her condition during the shoot, she quipped, "Even now, sometimes I go through depression. During the Heeramandi shoot, depression consumed me so much that my mood swings were like... I was like, 'Sail through this phase.' Once this is out, focus on your health."
Moving further with her chit-chat, the actress revealed another interesting fact about her character. As per Manisha, the role of Mallika Jaan was first offered to iconic Rekha, which was stated by Rekha herself about 18-20 years back. Gasping further, she confronted her respect for the Khamoshi actress. She recalled a recent instance when Rekha ji called her personally after watching Heermandi and praised her for bringing Mallika Jaan's character to life. In the words of Rekha, she said, "Bachcha, I was praying that if I don’t do this role, you should do it. My prayers have come true. You have done it marvelously; you have gone through so much in life, and you have brought life to the character."
Led by all women, the Netflix television series is set in pre-independent India and revolves around the life of the courtesans when they were treated as equals as queens. Starring Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sh=anjeeda Sheikh, and Sharmin Sehgal, it is an intense historical drama that takes the audiences around the themes of 'love, power and freedom'.
- PTC PUNJABI
