The female actors of Heeramandi; Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh and Sharmin Segal shared anecdotes about working in the acclaimed show in the latest episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show. They chose incidents when the director would do a retake because he would notice something wrong in a shot. (Also read: The Great Indian Kapil Show: Sonakshi Sinha confesses ‘mujhe zor se shaadi karni hai’ when given Alia, Kiara’s example)

What Richa shared

Richa shared how Sanjay would guide them and say, “You don’t have to do much. You are wearing a 20-kilo lehenga. You will spin around 8 times with it and when you hit the mark, you have to stop there, look up and shed a tear from your left eye.” She also added how the roses she used in the dance sequence in the series also caught the attention of Bhansali. He would change any rose if it looked dried up and that took a lot of times.

Sharmin recalls when Bhansali would do a retake

Sharmin, who plays the role of Alamzeb in the show, added: “One day, he saw a thread. In a tight close-up he saw a thread sticking out of the dress.” He went on to cut the shot and did the retake.

Sonakshi added sometimes the decorative lamps would go out and the curtains would be a little creased. There would be retakes for these reasons. Sometimes he would notice that the drape of the costume was not falling on the correct spot.

Meanwhile, Sanjeeda added how even the props used in a shot have a character. Even the curtains in the background have a purpose, she said. Aditi shared that with 200 people in the set, and so much detailing gone into the process, it all comes together to the final result. “His larger-than-life vision. This is the way to do it,” she added. Sonakshi concluded by stating that the vision that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has a director is unlike anyone else in the industry. “He saw something in me that no one did. So he can do anything he desires,” she stated.

Heeramandi is directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and released on Netflix on May 1. The series explores the cultural setting 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.

The Great Indian Kapil Show is available to stream on Netflix.