Heeramandi Marks My Hattrick With SLB says Anuj Sharma

Actor Anuj Sharma, who played the role of Hamid Mohsin Ali in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut Heeramandi, clocks his hattrick of working with master storyteller and shares an interesting story about bagging the role.

Anuj Sharma was interacting with the media during a promotional interview for Heeramandi.

Expressing his gratitude for the opportunity, Anuj remarked, “This is a hat-trick, it is my good fortune that I got to work with the biggest director of Indian cinema, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I mean, it’s a dream of people to see him, meet him, and work with him, and I am living the dream.”

In "Heeramandi," Anuj portrays the character of Hamid, whom he described as a true patriot for whom nothing stands above the nation. Recalling his interaction with Bhansali regarding the role, Anuj shared, “I remember meeting SLB, and he briefed me about the role. He told me this character is like a lion; when he roars, everything else goes silent.”

Anuj also shared an intriguing anecdote about how he landed the role. Despite initially being rejected after auditioning, he later found himself shooting the first scene without realizing he had secured the part.

He said, “I came to Mumbai in 2005, and that was the first time I went to the SLB office and submitted my photograph with my phone number on it. I got my first call in 2008 for a movie, but eventually that movie got shelved. Then I got the call again in 2015 for Padmavaat, it was the first time I worked with SLB, it was just a small part. Then the team approached me for Gangubai, again a smaller part. Then I got a call for Heeramandi, I auditioned for the role, and I got rejected. I was disappointed.”

“But next day, I was asked for come to sets, and SLB was there, he said I am his lucky charm, and gave me a scene to prep, I did the prep, shot it, and I was still under the impression that I was auditioning, little did I know, I shot my first scene” added Anuj.

Anuj Sharma was also part of Shagird, State of Siege, Special Ops and more.