Heeramandi - Shekhar Suman reveals Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a 'taskmaster'; but 'he pampers his actors to the hilt' | Exclusive

Shekhar Suman will soon be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus web show, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. The actor is essaying the role of Zulfikar in the series, which is scheduled for a Netflix release on May 1. Before Heeramandi's release, OTTplay did an exclusive interview with Shekhar Suman. In this chat, he shed light on how Sanjay Leela Bhansali is indeed a 'taskmaster' on set but is also very soft at heart.

Shekhar Suman on Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar creator Sanjay Leela Bhansali

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Shekhar Suman was asked if Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar creator Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a 'taskmaster' on the set. To this, the actor said, "It is true that he is a taskmaster. You better be a taskmaster because it is only then you can reach perfection. If you are somebody who has this attitude of 'we'll manage, nobody is going to see this, it's okay you don't need another take, kon dekhta hain, who cares?'(then) no, (it doesn't work)."

Suman added that SLB's disciplinarian attitude is what makes him the Sanjay Leela Bhansali that he is. "Because he's a disciplinarian, he is a stickler for perfection, he is a taskmaster and a slave driver, you have to have that attitude of a king to run your kingdom," stated the Heeramandi actor.

Also read: Shekhar Suman speaks about his son Adhyayan Suman's career

Shekhar Suman reveals Sanjay Leela Bhansali 'pampers' his actors

Continuing the conversation, Shekhar Suman spoke about the other side of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, which not many people are aware of.

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"He is very soft at heart. He is a wonderful human being, who pampers his actors to the hilt. What happens is that when you have reached a certain level of excellence, you expect others to fall in line with some degree of perfection. It is only when you go wrong, he becomes impatient. But I think being a tough taskmaster is the biggest virtue that you can have. It is what is a sign of a great filmmaker," said Shekhar while signing off.

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar also stars Shekhar's son Adhyayan Suman, Taha Shah Badussha and Fardeen Khan. The female cast includes Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Sharmin Segal and Aditi Rao Hydari.

Also read: Heeramandi - Richa Chadha sought inspiration from THIS legendary actress' iconic character for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's series