Astha Mittal: “Playing Huma in Heeramandi was an enriching experience”

Actor Astha Mittal, a seasoned theatre personality hailing from Ghaziabad, recently stepped into the realm of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s cinema in Netflix’s Heeramandi marking her screen debut. She portrays the character of Huma/Humeira, a trusted confidant of Sonakshi Sinha’s character, Fareedan in Heeramandi. As Huma shadows Sonakshi’s Fareedan she not only is an accomplice in the intricate web of schemes but also becomes instrumental in unfolding certain key turning points within the narrative of these 8 episodic web series.

The highlight of Astha’s experience was collaborating with her dream director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She fondly recalls Bhansali’s insightful direction, including a memorable instance where he referenced a song from Mughal-e-Azam to evoke a particular emotion for a scene.

Astha shared, “Being a part of Heeramandi and collaborating with Sanjay Leela Bhansali was an absolute dream come true for me.  Each moment on set was infused with passion and creativity, and I am immensely grateful for the opportunity. To have been guided by such a visionary filmmaker right at the outset of my cinematic journey is nothing short of a blessing. I fondly remember an instance when Sanjay sir provided me with references from a song in Mughal-e-Azam that captured a specific emotion, ultimately inspiring the expression needed for the scene.”

Reflecting on her role, Astha shares, “Playing Huma in Heeramandi was an enriching experience. She serves as a crucial link in the chain of events, and delving into her character was both challenging and rewarding.”

On set, Astha shared most of her screen time with Sonakshi Sinha, whom she describes as not only a phenomenal actor but also a wonderful human being. Astha’s journey to secure the role in Heeramandi began with a self-test requested by Shruti Mahajan’s team.

With a background in engineering and a postgraduate degree in mass communication, Astha has donned various hats in the theatre world as a writer, director, and actor previously. Astha is gearing up for a role as a lawyer in an upcoming web series.