Sharmin Segal

Sharmin Segal Mehta
Segal in 2019
Born
Sharmin Segal

(1995-09-28) 28 September 1995 (age 29)
OccupationActress
Years active2019–present
Spouse
Aman Mehta
(m. 2023)
RelativesSanjay Leela Bhansali (maternal uncle)

Sharmin Segal Mehta (née Segal) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She began her career as an assistant director to her maternal uncle Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and made her acting debut in his production, Malaal (2019), receiving a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Segal has since starred in the film Atithi Bhooto Bhava (2022) and the series Heeramandi (2024).[1][2]

Early life

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Segal was born to film editor Bela Bhansali Segal, who is the younger sister of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and Deepak Segal, the content head of Applause Entertainment.[3] She has a younger sister named Simran Segal and is the granddaughter of film director Mohan Segal, who introduced veteran actress Rekha to Hindi cinema.[4]

Segal's maternal grandparents are film producers Navin Bhansali and Leela Bhansali. She completed her acting course from Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, New York.[5]

In a 2019 interview, Segal opened up about being fat-shamed as a teenager. She mentioned that she was overweight as a teen and claimed that she was made fun of in school till she graduated. Talking about the current trend of promoting body positivity, she said that she was bullied for over 15 years and that she wasn't confident.[6]

Career

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Segal started her career as an assistant director with Mary Kom (2014) and Bajirao Mastani (2015).[7]

Segal made her acting debut in 2019 with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Malaal. She portrayed Astha Tripathi opposite Meezaan Jafri.[8] It received mixed reviews from critics. The Times of India praised the performance of debutants Meezaan and Sharmin and their onscreen chemistry, termed it as a 'simmering love story' with 'romantic and intense moments'.[9] News18, termed the debut duo of Meezaan and Sharmin Segal 'charming in parts', but 'rough around the edges'.[10] Segal received Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut nomination for her performance.[11]

In 2022, she portrayed flight attendant Netra Banerjee opposite Pratik Gandhi, in ZEE5's Atithi Bhooto Bhava.[12][13] It received mixed reviews from critics. Filmfare wrote, "Sharmin looks convincing as the girl who has a hard time adjusting to her man's quirks. She and Pratik comes out as a real couple."[14] DNA India termed Segal as 'outstanding' and said that the film will leave you emotional.[15]

In 2024, Segal appeared in Bhansali's series Heeramandi, playing poet Alamzeb, opposite Taha Shah Badussha.[16][17] Her performance was unanimously panned; Devansh Sharma of Hindustan Times noted, "Sharmin lend the much-needed youthful energy, but her voice and dialogue delivery does not work in her favour;"[18] while Shilajit Mitra of The Hindu, wrote that Alamzeb's character was "flatly played" by Segal.[19] She also received wide criticism for her role, which was said to be "expressionless."[20]

Personal life

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In November 2023, Sharmin married Aman Mehta, the executive director of Torrent Pharmaceuticals.[21]

Controversy

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Segal had conflicts with several of her Heeramandi co-stars during promotional interviews.[22] In one interview, Sanjeeda Shaikh called director Sanjay Leela Bhansali a perfectionist, but Segal interrupted her and stated that perfectionist is a "basic word" to describe him and criticized Shaikh, suggesting her opinion was invalid because she was an outsider.[23] Additionally, Segal's sarcastic remark referring to co-star Aditi Rao Hydari as an "obedient schoolgirl" due to her punctuality was poorly received.[24] When these incidents went viral, Segal faced significant backlash on social media.[25][26] However, she dismissed the criticism, arguing that her comments were taken out of context and that she was portrayed as more aggressive than she is.[27] Subsequently, her co-stars publicly supported her.[28]

Filmography

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Films

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Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2014 Mary Kom Assistant director [7]
2015 Bajirao Mastani Assistant director [29]
2019 Malaal Astha Tripathi Nomination—Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut [30][31][32]
2022 Atithi Bhooto Bhava Netra Banerjee [33]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2024 Heeramandi Alamzeb "Alam" [34]

References

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  1. ^ "Exclusive Interview! Known all about the Malaal and Atithi Bhooto Bhava actress Sharmin Segal". Times of India. 10 June 2019. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Star Power Actress: Sharmin Segal". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Won't rely on family name for work: Malaal actress Sharmin Segal". The Pioneer. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Rekha blesses Malaal star and Mohan Segal's granddaughter, Sharmin Segal". Mid Day. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  5. ^ "A Timeline of Lee". newyork-strasberg.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2006.
  6. ^ "Exclusive! 'Malaal' star Sharmin Segal opens up about being fat-shamed as a teenager". Times of India. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  7. ^ a b Pandey, Mahima (9 June 2024). "From Mary Kom to Heeramandi: A look at Sharmin Segal aka Alamzeb's journey in Bollywood so far". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Sanjay Leela Bhansali to launch niece Sharmin Segal opposite Javed Jaffrey's son Meezaan in Malaal". Hindustan Times. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  9. ^ Sengupta, Sreeparna (5 July 2019). "MALAAL MOVIE REVIEW". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  10. ^ Sinha Jha, Priyanka (5 July 2019). "Malaal Movie Review: Meezaan, Sharmin's Film Lacks the Pathos It Needed". News18. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  11. ^ "'Malaal' trailer: Newbies Meezaan Jaaferi and Sharmin Sehgal are all set to redefine love in their debut film". Times of India. 18 May 2019. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  12. ^ "Pratik Gandhi and Sharmin Segal's starrer Atithi Bhooto Bhava goes on floors in Mathura". The Indian Express. 22 January 2021. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Atithi Bhooto Bhava Trailer: Jackie Shroff, Pratik Gandhi and Sharmin Segal starrer showcases love stories from different eras". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Atithi Bhooto Bhava Movie Review: The film leans heavily on Jackie Shroff's charm". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Atithi Bhooto Bhava review: Jackie Shroff, Pratik Gandhi and Sharmin Segal starrer will leave you emotional". DNA India. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Heeramandi first look: Sanjay Leela Bhansali series starring Manisha, Sonakshi, Aditi will take you back to another era". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Siddharth Gupta and Sharmin Segal are the leads in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heera Mandi – Exclusive". The Times of India. 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Heeramandi review: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's sprawling, sparkling debut show is blissfully free of his cinematic trappings". Hindustan Times. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  19. ^ Mitra, Shilajit (1 May 2024). "'Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar' series review: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's dazzling soap opera". The Hindu.
  20. ^ Negi, Shristhti (7 May 2024). "Heeramandi Actor Shruti Sharma Reacts to Sharmin Segal Being Trolled: 'I'm Very Concerned for Her'". News 18. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  21. ^ Mukherjee, Richa (27 November 2023). "Heeramandi Actor Sharmin Segal Marries Aman Mehta. See Wedding Pics". NDTV. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  22. ^ Sharma, Chirali (27 May 2024). "Why Does The Internet Dislike Sharmin Segal?". Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  23. ^ "Sharmin Segal hit with new wave of internet fury for 'bullying' Heeramandi co-star Sanjeeda Shaikh during interview". Hindustan Times. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  24. ^ "'She needs to learn some manners' Sharmin trolled for being 'jealous' of Aditi's punctuality". MensXP. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  25. ^ Hendriques, Princia (18 June 2024). "Sharmin Segal On Internet Calling Her 'Arrogant' Towards Aditi Rao Hydari: 'Interviews Were Taken Out Of Context'". Mashable India. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  26. ^ Web, Statesman (27 May 2024). "Sharmin Segal faces backlash for comments on 'Heeramandi' co-stars". The Statesman. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Sharmin Segal lends clarification on her viral 'schoolgirl' remark about Aditi Rao Hydari: 'Perhaps it came out a little bit aggressive...'". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  28. ^ "Sharmin's Heeramandi Co-Actors Come Out In Support, She Speaks Of 'Outlets Where She Can Vent'". ABP Live. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  29. ^ "Debutants of 2019: Ananya Panday to Sharmin Segal, the big Bollywood debuts of this year". India Today. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  30. ^ "Malaal: Sharmin Segal, Meezaan's Bollywood debut film to now release on 5 July". Firstpost. 25 May 2019. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  31. ^ "Debutants who ruled Bollywood in 2019: From Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey to Sharmin Segal". ANI News. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  32. ^ "Filmfare Awards 2020 Nominations | 65th Filmfare Awards 2020". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  33. ^ "Sharmin Segal on Atithi Bhooto Bhava: 'It was one of my dreams to work with Jackie Shroff'". Firstpost. 22 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  34. ^ "Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, and Sharmin Segal start Heeramandi's shoot". Bollywood Hungama. 2 September 2022. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
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Sharmin Segal at IMDb