Sonakshi Sinha calls Heeramandi’s Fareedan gender-fluid; BREAKS SILENCE on same-sex foreplay scene

Sonakshi Sinha is currently garnering much love and appreciation for her portrayal of Fareedan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. While discussing her character, one of the topics spoken about is Fareedan’s sexuality. During a recent interview, the ‘Akira’ actress got candid about her character and why the makers decided not to explore her orientation much. She also spoke about the scene where her character is seen getting frisky with one of the maids.

Sonakshi Sinha on Fareedan’s sexuality

During an interaction with News18 Showsha, Sonakshi Sinha got candid about her Heeramandi character being a woman with a fluid gender. The actress – while talking about how the makers subtly hinted at Fareedan’s sexuality instead of making it a big topic, said, “Initially, sir (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) had told me that Fareedan is very fluid. At that point in time, a lot of it did happen. And in a place like Heeramandi, people were very open about it. Even Ustadji 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.”

Sonakshi on Heeramandi same-sex foreplay scene

In episode 3, Fareedan gets frisky with one of her maids and asks her patron – Choudhary saab, to close the door while leaving, implying an impending sexual interaction between them. When asked about the same-sex foreplay scene, Sonakshi Sinha said, “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.”

About Heeramandi

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar has been receiving mixed responses from the audience. The period drama talks about the lives of tawaifs in Lahore’s Heera Mandi during India’s Independence struggle against the British Raj. It stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal Mehta, and Taha Shah Badussha in lead roles. The series also features Farida Jalal, Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Adhyayan Suman and others in pivotal but recurring roles.

Also Read: Heeramandi REVIEW: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Diamond Bazaar shines bright amidst love, deceit & drama; Aditi Rao Hydari, Manisha Koirala steal the show