Manisha Koirala is all set to feature in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s OTT debut series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. Ahead of the show’s release, the Gupt star opened up about working with the ace director after a long wait of 28 years. Talking to NDTV, the actress revealed how the offer came her way. She said, “When I was offered this project, I was in Nepal, gardening and I was really thrilled. I waited for such a long time. It took 28 years of waiting and finally Sanjay came with a good project and i told him, ‘Sanjay don’t take another 28 years to offer me another good one.'”

She further continued, “I have seen his movies after Khamoshi. So much pleasure and joy it gives me to see his career graph and one after the other brilliant film he has made. At this age and stage in my life when I was offered this, I was really thrilled.

Talking about her experience of working in Heeramandi, the actress said, “I had 4th stage of cancer and to get a chance to life after that was like a second chance to life. I wasn’t sure if i would live and how long I would live. In my work life, to work in a project like Heeramandi and to play this character, which has so layers, for me it was like a second life for an actor.”

For the unversed, the actress will be playing Mallikajaan in Heeramandi, described as the “scheming” figure who “rules over an elite house of courtesans” in British-ruled India.

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar will be released on May 1. The period drama features a stellar ensemble cast including Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Sharmin Segal.

 “Don’t take another 28 years to offer me another good one,” Manisha Koirala told Sanjay Leela Bhansali