Pakistani actor Imran Abbas was called 'liar' over Heeramandi offer: I appreciate Sanjay Leela Bhansali's clarification

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's first web series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, dropped on May 1 on Netflix. While speaking to Lilly Singh at the Los Angeles premiere of his show on April 29, the filmmaker revealed that he had conceived the idea of making Heeramandi as a film 18 years ago and considered casting Pakistani actors Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan, Imran Abbas. The latter has now reacted to Sanjay's statement. Also read: Sanjay Leela Bhansali reveals he wanted to cast Mahira Khan, Fawad Khan and Imran Abbas in Heeramandi

Imran Abbas had talked about being offered the Sanjay Leela Bhansali project during a 2024 interview with ARY Digital's Shaan-e-Suhoor. He had said, "I had not said no to Heeramandi, but it got shelved." Now, the Pakistani actor has taken to Instagram to appreciate Sanjay for clarifying he was, in fact, considered for Heeramandi, after the actor faced backlash for claiming the same recently.

Imran Abbas on being mocked

Imran wrote, “I appreciate Sanjay Leela Bhansali for providing this clarification. I would like to encourage my dear netizens and YouTubers to inquire with the other directors I mentioned in my interviews to confirm what the offers made by them. The most disheartening aspect is not lack of belief in me and the perception of me as a liar or a show-off."

He added, "It is evident that some individuals are confined within their limited worldview, unaware of many real-life experiences that others have encountered. For them it's still a fantasy since they are living in a small nutshell. What is even more distressing is when your own people degrade their own celebrities by quoting disrespectful comments from certain YouTubers and so-called journalists, who have faced criticism and are not at all credible even within the Bollywood industry."

What Sanjay said about casting Pak actors

The filmmaker surprised everyone with the revelation that Pakistani actors were also considered for Heeramandi as he said at the series' LA premiere on Monday, "I had multiple castings in my mind, the idea has been there for 18 years. I thought about Rekha ji and then Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji. It was a film back then. I then also thought about Mahira Khan, the Pakistani actress, and Imran Abbas and Fawad Khan were also in my mind at one point of time. But I ended up with this ensemble cast."

More about Heeramandi

In Heeramandi, which debuted on Netflix on Wednesday, Sanjay explores the lives of courtesans in the pre-independence era. It stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah, Fardeen Khan, and Shekhar Suman, among others.