Actor Jason Shah Reveals His Experience of Feeling Unwelcome On Heeramandi Set: ‘Lacked Decency, Felt Out of Place…’

New Delhi: Heeramandi actress, Jason Shah is earning praise for his portrayal of the villainous British officer, Alastair Cartwright, in the debut web series by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. During a recent chat with NDTV, Jason opened up about his experiences behind the scenes of the Netflix series, and he noted the challenging environment and lack of common etiquette throughout the shooting. Scroll down to find more details.
Jason Shah Reacts To Lack of Interaction on Heeramandi Set
Jason was asked if he felt he was treated equitably alongside his fellow actors while filming Heeramandi, or if he encountered any form of bias. Jason said, “I found it (the set) to be lacking in the simple niceties of human nature. I felt like there were places where just ‘Hi Jason, this is this person, the director you will be working with today’ (could have been said). I was not introduced to many people over there, which I found very odd. I found it a little confusing in some ways (sic).”
The Heeramandi actor further added, “I started thinking, I am the villain (on the show), so maybe they want the villain to be angry and disconnected from everybody. But me being connected to a human being on set never really boils over to my character onscreen. I felt a little bit out of place in some places, but I guess you keep on going with the flow of things and pick it up from wherever (sic).”
During a previous interaction with India.com Jason Shah recalled his experience working with Bhansali’s crew. He said, “It was fantastic, working with the crew I learned a lot working with new directors… it was amazing… it was great working with Indian Bollywood heroines and it was like a dream come true moment (sic).” Jason continued, “Obviously, the amount of screen time that I have gotten will help me a lot on international platforms as well. All over it was a good experience for me (sic).”
About Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar
Sanjay Leela Bhansali took a leap into the world of online streaming with his debut series, launched on Netflix on the 1st of May. The show dives deep into India before its partition and casts a light on the influential courtesans then, whose roles in the independence struggle were noteworthy. Stellar performers like Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Richa Chadha, Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, Farida Jalal, and Indresh Malik bring the series alive. The fan popularity and compelling plot have already led Netflix to give a nod for a second season!
Watch this space to get the latest update on the same!