Manisha Koirala may have pulled off a couple of intimate scenes in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Netflix India period drama Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, but she’s had reservations about on-screen intimacy in the past. In an interview with Masala!, Manisha said she was apprehensive of the intimate scenes with Jaideep Ahlawat in Dibakar Banerjee’s short in the 2018 Netflix India anthology Lust Stories. (Also Read – Jason Shah opens up on filming Manisha Koirala’s sexual abuse scene in Heeramandi: ‘I was watching my actions’)
What Manisha said
“I had my reservations about the love-making scenes. I very frankly told Dibakar that I’ve had some bad experiences with on-screen intimacy in the past. I thought he would not be able to get around that problem,” Manisha said. However, she then credited the filmmaker for being receptive and sensitive. “I was deeply impressed by Dibakar’s open-minded, responsive attitude. He listens to everyone, not just actors but also the crew,” she added.
Earlier, in an interview with The Hindu during Lust Stories promotions, Manisha had said, “It (Dibakar’s short) was called Love Lust and Everything In Between or something like that. It made [me] wonder what kind of movie it would be.” She even suggested Dibakar to go with a ‘bolder’ actor. “I had seen and loved his short in Bombay Talkies . I knew he would make something sensible… At every step [Banerjee] was careful. He has been sensitive and respectful,” Manisha had said.
Manisha starred alongside Jaideep and Sanjay Kapoor in Lust Stories. She also worked with Dibakar Banerjee on the film Tees, which Netflix India hasn’t released yet.
Intimate scenes in Heeramandi
Manisha, who plays a brothel madam Mallikajan in Heeramandi, has a couple of intimate scenes in the show. The first one is with Shekhar Suman inside a carriage, which he revealed wasn’t a part of the script. The other one is a sexual abuse scene, which her co-star Jason Shah said he was very “careful” about.
Meanwhile, Dibakar Banerjee recently released his new directorial, LSD 2: Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2, in theatres. It’s a sequel to his 2010 hit, Love Sex Aur Dhokha.