“I was told not to tell anyone that I drink vodka because…” – Firstpost

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar‘ was finally released and started creating a buzz around the world. SLB has lovingly crafted the 8-part series with captivating sets, a fantastic cast and a larger than life world. And in an interview with Filmfare, the actress spoke about how she was under fire in the 90s and how she was told to lie to people.

The actress revealed, “At the time of Saudagar, there was a mix of coke and vodka and people around me told me not to tell people that I was drinking vodka because actresses shouldn’t drink alcohol. I was told to say that I was drinking coke. I relearned that.”

She added: “I told my mum, ‘I drink Coke’ and she knew I had put vodka in it and she said, ‘Listen, if you drink vodka, say you drink vodka, don’t say you drink Coke, don’t lie about little things like that.’ If I was going out with somebody, I was going out with somebody. You want to judge me? Go ahead, judge me, but that’s me, that’s me, and I live my life on my own terms.”

The actress continued: “I had to take some criticism for that because back then, heroes could have lots of girlfriends and were called macho, but the actress was expected to say, ‘No, no, no, nobody touches me’ and ‘we are very untouched.’ It was also misunderstood that (she) is a very simple or straightforward girl, you know… But I took it in stride.”

And in an interview with NDTV, Manisha Koirala spoke about how she suffered from depression while shooting for the show.

The actress revealed, “I have been affected by cancer and I know how the mind and body are connected. They are reliable. Even now, I work with depression sometimes. Honestly, when I was shooting Heeramandi, it was so consuming, my mood swings… And I just thought, ‘Sail through this phase. When this is over, focus on your health.'”