Sharmin Segal has discussed her decision not to assist her uncle, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, on Ram-Leela but to work with him on Bajirao Mastani.
In an interview with News 18, the 28-year-old actress revealed that her debut as an assistant was in the film Mary Kom, marking her first job, and mentioned that her initial salary amounted to INR 7,500.
She explained, "I could’ve worked in Ram-Leela but I felt like I didn’t deserve that chance of assisting Sanjay Leela Bhansali at that point. I was completely new and I knew nothing about filmmaking."
"So, I thought of hanging around in the back on the sets of Mary Kom and see what I can pick up, understand and take away and then maybe I could go to assist Sanjay sir with something."
Offering insight into her working experience in Mary Kom, Sharmin revealed her first pay.
She said, "The first film I assisted him on was Bajirao Mastani but the first film I ever assisted was on Mary Kom. And while I was working on Mary Kom, he was shooting for Ram-Leela."
"I basically told him that I would want to work in films but I know nothing about them. Mary Kom was my first job and I received my first salary while working on it. It was ₹7,500."
Recently, Sharmin portrayed the role of Alamzeb inSanjay Leela Bhansali's debut web seriesHeeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar,released on Netflix on May 1, 2024.