Shruti Sharma comes out in support of her co-star Sharmin Segal amid criticism for Heeramandi: ‘It is a kind of mental harassment’

Bollywood actress

Sharmin Segal

has faced criticism following the release of

Sanjay Leela Bhansali

‘s web series ‘

Heeramandi

: The Diamond Bazaar’. A portion of netizens expressed disappointment with the actor’s performance in the epic-drama series, which garnered mixed reviews. Sharmin Segal’s co-star

Shruti Sharma

has come out in support of her after the actress disabled her Instagram comments.

In an interview with Pinkvilla, Shruti Sharma, who portrayed Sharmin’s confidante in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film, recently shared her thoughts on the internet

trolling

that Sharmin is receiving. She said, “Honestly, I wasn’t aware that people were trolling her until now. I don’t know what audiences have liked or not liked about Sharmin, but I’ve seen her trying her best like everyone else on the sets. It doesn’t matter who’s being trolled, but trolling is a bad thing to do.”
The actress further added, “Criticism is one thing; healthy criticism is always welcome, but trolling is unacceptable. It is a very negative way of approaching anyone. It is a kind of mental harassment. If it is happening, I am very concerned for her right now.”
In ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’, Sharmin portrayed the character of Alamzeb, the younger daughter of courtesan Mallikajaan, played by Manisha Koirala. The historical series has faced criticism due to its inaccurate portrayal of the era it covers. For the unversed, Sharmin is the niece of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She has assisted the filmmaker in ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’ (2013), ‘Bajirao Mastani’ (2015) and ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ (2022). The actress made her acting debut in 2019 with the film ‘Malaal’ opposite Meezan Jafri.

‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ is set in the backdrop of the Indian independence movement of the 1920s-40s. The battle between the

courtesans

in Lahore’s red-light district, Heera Mandi, and the British Raj officials is depicted in this epic drama. The series stars Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman and Adhyayan Suman in pivotal roles. It is now streaming on Netflix.