Richa Chadha drew inspiration from Meena Kumari’s Pakeezah for her role in Heeramandi

Richa Chadha, who is gearing up for the release of her upcoming streaming series Heeramandi — The Diamond Bazaar, has revealed that she referred to the iconic performance of legendary actress Meena Kumari to craft her character in the series.

In the series, Richa essays the role of Lajjo, a courtesan with a captivating persona. She shared that she found inspiration in Meena Kumari’s portrayal of Shahibjaan in the timeless classic Pakeezah. She studied Meena Kumari’s character, drawing parallels between Sahibjaan and Lajjo.

Talking about her preparations for the character, Richa said, “Carefully observing, learning from and taking lessons from Meena Kumari ji’s character in Pakeezah was a truly enriching and deeply transforming experience for me ahead of shooting for Heeramandi. In Paakezah, Meena Kumari’s character has a certain tragic depth and complexity that resonated with Lajjo, the character that I play in the show. I worked on the voice and diction, while studying Meena ji’s work, to the point of imitation sometimes.”

“I felt like I was walking in the footsteps of a cinematic legend, and it was an honour to pay tribute to Meena Kumari ji through my portrayal of Lajjo,” she added.

Heeramandi — The Diamond Bazaar marks the webseries debut of auteur Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and delves into the world of courtesans.

The series will Drop on Netflix on May 1.