Adah Sharma recalls pretending to be Anu Malik’s daughter after Sanjay Leela Bhansali failed to recognize her at Heeramandi premiere: ‘A tip on how not to get cast in a film’

Discussions around nepotism in Bollywood remain a hot topic, as audiences criticize star kids for effortlessly landing lead roles, while talented outsiders often grapple with limited opportunities. Recently, actress Adah Sharma humorously recounted an incident where she jokingly embraced the nepotism tag after filmmaker Sanjay leela bhansali failed to recognize her.
Adah recounted her amusing encounter with Bhansali at the Heeramandi premiere. “I have to tell you a funny story. I had to introduce myself. I went to the Heeramandi Premiereand Sanjay Leela Bhansali was standing there. I became an actor because I loved dancing in films—that was my only reason. My friend told me to greet the filmmaker, so I said, ‘Hello, I’m Adah.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Adah? Which’s daughter, Adah?’”
What happened next was unexpected. “In that fraction of a second, I thought, should I say no, I have done The Kerala Story and Sunflowerand I can dance and do 100 chakkars? Should I say all that, or should I just go along with it? Everyone asks me about nepotism in interviews. I thought, I have a chance here, so I might as well agree. So I said, ‘Yes.’ He then asked, ‘How’s Dad?’ and I just nodded my head and said, ‘Yeah.’ And he said, ‘Okay.’”

Taking to social media, Adah later joked about the moment, humorously calling it “a tip on how not to get cast in a film.”

Adah Sharma, who was last seen in the psychological thriller C.D (Criminal or Devil) directed by Krishna Annam and produced by Giridhar, has been earning praise for her performances in web series like Sunflower and Reeta Sanyal.