Achi news desk-
Heeramandi is set to release on Netflix on May 1.
Fardeen Khan says he didn’t know Sonakshi Sinha well because of ‘age gap’ even though their fathers were friends. He congratulates her on her performance in Hiramandi.
14 years after Dulha Mil Gaya, Fardeen Khan is all set to make his comeback with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s historical drama Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazar. Previously, the actor opened up about how he decided to take a step back from movies to focus on his health and family life. So, when the offer to be a part of the Netflix original show came to him, he was thrilled. And there is an interesting anecdote behind how he landed the part of Wali Muhammad, a charming nawab confused with a nautch girl.
In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Pardeen reveals how he caught the attention of the show’s casting director while attending an event. “I was spotted at an awards ceremony by Shruti Mahajan, who has worked closely with Mr. Bhansali over the years. I don’t know if she was there or she saw me on TV, but she thought I would suit the character of Wali,” he recalls.
So what happened next? “She called me when I came back from Abu Dhabi. She told me that she would like me to meet Mr. Bhansali and his team. And since I had been away from films for so long, they just wanted to see if I was really right for the role,” says Pardeen.
Despite being away from the camera for over a decade, he didn’t have to go through any audition process. In fact, Bhansley was impressed from his first meeting with Fardin. “20 minutes into the meeting, Mr. Bhansali came to look at me. We had met before. And when he was convinced, he agreed to do a look test. I couldn’t believe my luck. I was just so grateful for the opportunity,” says the actor.
Following the appearance test, the filmmaker called him and told him the news. “He wasn’t there during my appearance test. My photos were sent to him and then I got a call from him. He said, ‘Congratulations, you’re Wali Mohammed!’ It was exciting and nerve-wracking because I hadn’t been on a set in a long time,” exults Fardin.
Heeramandi will see him sharing screen space with Sonakshi Sinha for the first time. Interestingly, their fathers – the late Firoz Khan and Strughan Sinha – have always shared a friendly equation, but Pardeen admits that he and Sonakshi did not know each other well before they met on the sets of the show. “There is an age gap between us. We only knew each other and ran into each other on different occasions and greeted each other with ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’,” he states.
Praising her, Fardin continues, “I got to know her well during the making of Heeramandi and it was nice to get to know her a bit. She is a relaxed, fun and interesting person and very easy to get along with. We have a dive in common. She did such a good job in this show and really enjoyed her role and she was its owner.”
