Heeramandi’s Sharmin Segal Reveals FIRST Salary For Working on ‘Mary Kom’

The filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s niece, Sharmin Segal, most recently played the role of Alamzeb in Heeramandi. She has also been a part of filmmaking before being cast for this role. She worked as an assistant director on Priyanka Chopra’s 2014 film Mary Kom and Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone’s 2015 film Bajirao Mastani. Recently, Sharmin Segal discussed why she declined to act as an assistant director on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2013 film ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela‘ in favour of Mary Kom.

How Much Did Sharmin Segal Make on ‘Mary Kom?’

Sharmin Segal stated that although Bajirao Mastani was her first movie in which she assisted the director, her first debut as an assistant director was on Mary Kom. Sanjay Leela Bhansali was filming Ram-Leela at that time. She revealed in an interview with News18, “I basically told him that I would want to work in films but I know nothing about them. Mary Kom was my first job and I received my first salary while working on it. It was Rs 7,500.”

Sharmin Segal revealed she didn’t feel worthy or good enough to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone film. “I could’ve worked in Ram-Leela but I felt like I didn’t deserve that chance of assisting Sanjay Leela Bhansali at that point. I was completely new and I knew nothing about filmmaking. So, I thought of hanging around in the back on the sets of Mary Kom and see what I can pick up, understand and take away and then maybe I could go to assist Sanjay sir with something, ” she said.

Based on the life of boxer Mary Kom, the 2014 film is a biographical sports drama. Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Viacom18 Motion Pictures produced it under the direction of Omung Kumar. Priyanka Chopra played the pivotal role ‘Mary Kom.’ Darshan Kumar and Sunil Thapa, were among the cast members of the movie.

Sharmin also said that the 1996 filming of Khamoshi: The Musical, the directorial debut of her uncle SLB, was her first encounter on a movie set. She remembered scenes from ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,’ ‘Devdas,’ and ‘Saawariya’ sets. The actor went on to say that when she was four years old, she used to play with and steal objects from the ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam‘ set. She also acknowledged that during the making of Devdas and HDDCS, she fell in love with Aishwarya Rai.

Sharmin Segal in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Heeramandi’

Recently, Sharmin starred in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar as Alamzeb. Netflix hosted the launch of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut web series. The pre-Partition drama focused on courtesans, who were influential and powerful figures in India’s independence movement. Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Richa Chadha, Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah Badussha, Fira Jalal, Indresh Malik, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman were among the actors that appeared in it.