Did You Know? Rekha Was Offered Manisha Koirala's Role In Heeramandi 20 Years Ago

Legendary actress Rekha who is known for her regal beauty, and has appeared in many iconic films. She was all praises for Manisha Koirala after watching Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.

Manisha in the series potrayed the role of courtesan Mallikajaan. In an interview with an entertainment portal, Manisha talked about Rekha's reaction to the series. She praised her revealed that she was offered the same role 20 years ago but things did not fall in place.

According to her, “She was telling me that 18-20 years ago, she was offered this role,” Manisha told Filmygyan. She added that Rekha had called her up a day after the premiere and told her, “Bachcha, I was praying that if I don’t do this role, you should do it. My prayers have come true. You have done it marvelously; you have gone through so much in life and you have brought life to the character.”

Manisha further added, “I got teary-eyed and I told her that you are making me cry. Rekha Ji is a goddess. I love her. I had the opportunity of knowing her. She is the most graceful and poetic. What an artist she is. Her voice, dance, style, aesthetics, you name it. She is a very beautiful person."

Earlier when Heeramandi was premired in Los Angeles, Sanjay Leela Bhansali spill the beans that Rekha was among his first choices for the project. He said, "This was 18 years ago, at one point it was Rekha ji, Kareena and Rani Mukerji,” Bhansali revealed. “Then it changed into another cast. It was Mahira Khan, the Pakistani actress, at one point, with Imran Abbas and Fawad Khan. But that changed."

The period drama from Sanjay Leela Bhansali follows the lives, loves, and tragedies of 1920s courtesans. Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Sehgal and Sanjeeda Sheikh, Fardeen Khan, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman, and Adhyayan Suman in pivotal roles. It is currently streaming on Netflix.