Shekhar Suman defends Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s anger issues: ‘Raj Kapoor, K Asif were also like this’
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is all set to make his OTT debut with the period-drama series Heeramandi. The filmmaker, apart from his larger-than-life sets and dramatic storytelling, is also known for his anger issues. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Shekhar Suman defended Sanjay by giving examples of Raj Kapoor, K. Asif and Mehboob Khan.
When Shekhar was quizzed about Sanjay being short-tempered, he said, “So what? How does it matter? He has every right to be. Why does he get angry? He’s not a madman. He is a perfectionist. You will notice that perfectionists are always short-tempered because they get impatient with everybody else for not being at their level.” The actor further added, “I know of so many people who are legends in their craft but are also short-tempered. K Asif, Mehboob Khan, and Raj Kapoor were all like this. So, it doesn’t matter. It is all fair. In fact, I will tell him (Bhansali), ‘Aur gussa karo’ (Be even angrier). See what he is creating not only for you but also for posterity.”
Shekhar plays the character of Nawab Zulfikar in Heeramandi. The show also features Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Sharmin Segal, Fardeen Khan and Farida Jalal in crucial roles. Shekhar’s son Adhyayan Suman also essays Nawab Zoravar in the series. Heeramandi will be streaming on Netflix India from May 1.
Interestingly, Shekhar was also approached to play Chunri Babu in Bhansali’s 2002 blockbuster period epic Devdas, but the actor couldn’t take up the part because of his busy schedule then. It was eventually essayed by Jackie Shroff.
