Actor Sharmin Segal has been at the receiving end of trolling for her performance as Alamzeb in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s web series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.

Defending her work in the show, the actor had earlier shared that she had taken inspiration from veteran actor Meena Kumari’s performance in Pakeezah (1971). Now, Meena Kumari’s stepson, filmmaker Tajdar Amrohi has reacted to Segal’s comments, saying that there is “a lot of difference” between the two.

In an interview earlier this month, Segal stated, “Meena Kumari was one of my inspirations. I tried to bring The actor’s nothingness from Pakeezah to my character in Heeramandi.”

In an interview with Zoom TV, Amrohi said, “Zameen aasman ka fark hai between Heeramandi and Pakeezah. Don’t compare the two. Nobody can make Pakeezah again. Neither Meena Kumari nor Kamal Amrohi (filmmaker, his father) can ever be born again.”

He continued, “I don’t know Sharmin. But no, I can’t relate to her statement on nothingness. I must say here, that each one of us has individual tastes. There might be people who have liked Heeramandi more than Pakeezah.”

Amrohi then went on to elaborate on Bhansali’s admiration for his father. The filmmaker added, “Once, Bhansali had come to Kamalistan Studio and asked where my dad used to sit, where he walked. Out of great respect, he touched the ground. That was 15 years ago and I never met him again.”