Sonakshi Sinha, soaring high with the success of Heeramandi, opened up about her character Fareedan’s gender fluidity and a particular scene (from the series) hinting at Fareedan’s same-sex orientation in an interview with News 18. Sonakshi, who plays double roles of mother-daughter in the series, told News 18, “Initially, Sir (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) had told me that Fareedan is very fluid. At that point of time, a lot of it did happen. And in a place like Heeramandi, people were very open about it. Even Ustadji (played by Indresh Malik) is very openly a gay man. Sir wanted to explore it in different ways. What Fareedan has been through in her life also has impacted her in a way.”
For context, courtesan Fareedan can be seen engaging in foreplay with one of her maids which eventually hints at a sexual consummation in one of the scenes of Heeramandi. In the scene, Fareedan brings the maid in her room in the presence of Choudhary saab (a nawab who patronizes Fareedan) implying Fareedan’s bi-sexual orientation.
Speaking of the motive behind Fareedan’s actions, Sonakshi added, “She was sold off when she was a nine-year-old girl. Maybe that’s why she absolutely hates men. It could be that. They’ve left it very open. They didn’t explore it any further than that one scene where she meets Choudhary saab (a nawab) and is with her maid. It’s just a very vast world and Sir has tapped into different aspects of it in small ways.”
After the grand Mumbai screening of Heeramandi, Sonakshi Sinha treated her fans to inside pictures with a long note. She wrote, “What a MAGICAL night!! Too many emotions, too many people, too much love, too many memories all that came to life on screen yesterday at the grand premier of #HeeraMandi. Thank you Sanjay sir for making me your Fareedan…So honored to share this moment with my stellar co actors and the entire team that toiled day and night to create this magic! It’s happening guys!!! #heeramandionnetflix May 1st.” Sonakshi was accompanied by her mother Poonam Sinha at the screening. Take a look:
Produced by Bhansali Productions and Prerna Singh with the concept credited to Moin Beg, the series stars Manisha Koirala, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal and Sanjeeda Shaikh, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman and Taha Shah. Fareedan plays a strong opponent to Mallikajaan (played by Manisha Koirala) in the series.
