Heeramandi Actor Jason Shah Was 'Hesitant' Before Rape Scene With Manisha Koirala: 'I Was Very Careful'

Since its release, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar has been making headlines for different reasons. In a recent interview, Jason Shah, who played the role of a villainous British cop Alistair Cartwright, opened up about shooting the rape scene with Mallikajaan aka Manisha Koirala.

Jason admitted that he was “hesitant” before the sexual assault scene and mentioned that he was being cautious especially when he was supposed to slap Mallikajaan.

“I was hesitant. The fighter master wanted me to slap her in a more realistic manner but I was very careful, I was watching my actions. I even flicked her nose ring off in one scene, it got that close. That’s what I was telling the fight master that if we are not in coordination, I might end up hurting her, and obviously, she is an older woman, so it is my responsibility and I had to take care,” he told Filmibeat OTT.

Previously, Manisha Koirala also opened up the much-talked-about oral sex scene involving her and Shekhar Suman. The actress was speaking to Bollywood Bubble when she revealed that she wasn’t fully aware about the scene and added, “See, every little thing Sanjay does, he tries to bring in a new element that we hadn’t thought of, and he does it. So even about this scene, when rehearsals were going on, it must have been new.”

Prior to Manisha, Shekhar also talked about the scene and admitted that even though the scene felt “strange” initially, he agreed to do it. The 61-year-old actor revealed how Bhansali hugged him after it was successfully performed in a single take.

“I said, ‘In this life, nothing is too bizarre, I’ll do it’. And it was done, first take. Now, a drunken scene is difficult to perform, because you are either over or under. You can start hamming majestically. But somehow, I understood the tonality of it, the gravitas of it. The scene also brings out the pathos of this nawab, a rich man who is behaving in such an (undignified way). So, I did it instinctively, and he came running and said, ‘Magnificent’. And it was pack-up after that,” he told Zoom Entertainment.

Released on May 1, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s OTT debut. The show premiered on Netflix also also stars Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal Mehta, Farida Jalal, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman in key roles. It explores the various aspects of a woman’s trials and tribulations.