Sharmin Segal Once Confessed People Made Fun of Her When She Was on Stage: 'I Wanted to Be a Doctor'

Heeramandi marked Sharmin Segal’s second project of her acting career. She made her on-screen debut with Malaal, starring opposite Jaaved Jaaferi’s son Meezaan. While Sharmin’s acting skills have been widely discussed since the release of Heeramandi, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s niece had once revealed she did not dream of becoming an actress. Instead, she wanted to become a doctor. She also said she was made fun of when she got on stage to perform in college.

“While growing up, I wanted to be a doctor. I took to theatre while in college where I was bitten by the acting bug. People used to laugh at me when I was on stage as a 94 kg girl. Wishing to become an actor was scary as in the glamour world appearance matters the most, besides talent,” Segal told PTI.

“Bhansali saw that I was taking a keen interest in learning the nuances of acting, I was closely observing all the actors. After coming back from the acting school, I told him ‘let me audition for any film’. He asked me to meet Mangesh (Malaal’s director), he felt I was apt for Malaal,” she said.

Sharmin’s acting has been criticised for her craft since Heeramandi released. While she has not reacted to trolling, her co-stars have reacted to it. Richa Chadha told Pinkvilla, “I think truthfully, it is the audience’s right. It’s the audience’s prerogative that you like the show, you dislike the show. You like a performance, you dislike a performance. But what happens today, I think in the era of social media, when people start trolling, making memes, doing all that, that’s a bit hurtful, I think, for anyone. We must never be unkind because it can happen to you tomorrow. And everyone is a human being.”

Sharmin was also criticised for the way she behaved with her Heeramandi co-stars, especially Sanjeeda Shaikh.