Actor Jason Shah, who played the villainous British police officer Alistair Cartwright in the Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, spoke about an intimate same-sex scene featuring Cartwright and Ustadji, played by Indresh Malik. In an interview, Jason admitted that he was nervous about shooting the scene, and said that he’ll never forget the jitters he felt on his way to set that day.
Asked if there was any hesitation in his mind before shooting the scene, he told Filmibeat OTT, “Obviously there was, because this isn’t something I’ve done before. To be so close to another man, you will face… hesitation is the perfect word. I wasn’t hesitating to say yes to the show, and I felt comfortable because I was working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, so I knew aesthetically, it wouldn’t be portrayed in a way that would seem cheap. I knew that his standard would be met. I was definitely nervous coming up to that day. They told me in the night that tomorrow would be that scene.”
Also read – Heeramandi: Dear Sanjay Leela Bhansali, must your queers always be unhappy (or worse, ignored)?
Jason credited Indresh Malik for making him feel comfortable ahead of the shoot. He added, “I’ll always remember, on the drive there, I was like, ‘What’s going to happen?’ But Indresh Malik was so sweet, he was also so professional. We built a rapport at lunch, and by the time we got to the scene, we were very comfortable with each other. Yes, a little nervous. But you know what they say, when you have butterflies in your stomach, use it.”
In an interview with Bollywood Now, Indresh also spoke about the scene, and said, “The scene didn’t need many retakes, which was satisfying because Sanjay sir doesn’t settle until he achieves what he wants. He’s such a perfectionist. Although I was nervous about the scene since it featured a man being close to another man, Jason and I discussed it beforehand for about an hour and then went with the flow.”
Created by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Heeramandi also features Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha and Sharmin Segal. The eight-episode period drama, set in the world of courtesans and nawabs in pre-Independence Lahore, debuted to mixed reviews from critics and audiences on May 1, but has emerged as a viewership hit.
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