Sanjeeda Shaikh Says ‘Actors Are Ready’ To Begin Heeramandi 2: ‘The Call To Return To Set Is…’ | Exclusive – News18

Last Updated:December 17, 2024, 06:23 IST

Sanjeeda Shaikh says that following the release of Heeramandi, she doesn’t need to introduce filmmakers to her work in meetings.

Sanjeeda Shaikh bounced back to the screen this year with Fighter and Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. The Hrithik Roshan-Deepika Padukone starrer may have featured her in a small role but she left an indelible impression with her performance in it. And Heeramandi brought her wide critical acclaim and immense love from the audience. She finished the year with a music video titled Tum Kya Ho, which also starred John Abraham.

In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, she looks back at the year and says, “I’m in that phase of my life where I want my today to be better than yesterday and my tomorrow to be better than today. I want 2025 to be bigger and better. But what a year this has been! For an actor like me, it has been a blessing. As an actor, it’s creatively very satisfying to work with great actors and makers.” And up next, she has Kun Faya Kun and Heeramandi 2.

Sanjeeda spills the beans on the much-awaited sequel, which was announced with a flash mob in June this year, and tells us, “I’m sure that Heeramandi 2 will be bigger and better. I don’t know when we’ll start shooting. It’s unpredictable when it comes to sir (Sanjay Leela Bhansali). So, the call to return to that set is also unpredictable. But all I can say is that the actors are ready.” For the unversed, the sequel will chronicle the journey of courtesans in the film industry.

For Sanjeeda, life has seen some shift post the release of Heeramandi; the biggest being she can now ‘say out loud’ that she has been ‘Bhansalified’. “I used to watch this show where some actors would come and say that they’ve been Bhansalified and I used to wonder when my turn would come. When I go for my meetings now, the maker talks about how good a performer I am. And that’s a great feeling. I’ve always believed that my work should speak for itself and I’m glad that I don’t need to introduce people to my work anymore,” she states.

So, does she find her phone ringing more than before? “People now know me for Heeramandi. I’ve of course done work on TV before but log puraani baatein bhool ke nayi baat yaad rakhte hai. I want to keep working hard rather than waiting for my phone to ring so that someone can give me work. I now know that they’ll call me for something concrete and that’s why I don’t say no to most of them. They know that I can bring something substantial to the table,” Sanjeeda adds.

Recently, Heeramandi became the only Indian show in the list of Google Trends’ top-searched movies and shows of 2024. Sharing her excitement about it, the Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa actor remarks, “It made me so happy! Actors want to be spoken about their performances, their characters and their shows. So, Heeramandi being one of the most searched shows on Google Trends really flatters me.”