Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s debut web series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar has been grabbing attention since it premiered on Netflix on May 1. Also making news is his niece, actor Sharmin Segal, who has been trolled for not only her acting, but also her promotional interviews, which some on social media said showed her being ‘rude’ and ‘disrespectful’ to her Heeramandi co-stars. Now, in an interview with India Today, Sharmin has spoken about the same. Also read: Sharmin Segal addresses ‘bullying’ Sanjeeda Shaikh allegations

‘Aditi looks out for me, I look out for her’

The actor talked about how her co-stars, such as Richa Chadha and Aditi Rao Hydari, had the courage to stand up for her amid all the trolling. She said, “I see that my co-stars are courageous people to come out and talk in my support. It’s humbling to know that that’s how they feel about me. Some of them personally reached out to me as well, but to step in for me on public platforms, I just feel like I want to go and hug them… Aditi looks out for me. I look out for her… she’s one of the people who most actively called me, checked in, and ensured I was okay throughout this month. I love her. It’s a complete misrepresentation of my equation with Aditi. I only have respect for her.”

‘I think it’s unfair to judge or label me’

Sharmin reiterated that she feels satisfied by her co-stars’ reaction because ‘things have been taken out of context.’ Sharmin said she is ‘very thankful’ to her co-stars for being able to do this for her as people are ‘trying to make her look like a disrespectful person’ to her co-stars, or being ‘arrogant or rude’, which is ‘not the equation she has shared’ with any of her co-stars.

Sharmin, whose performance as Alamzeb in Heeramandi attracted mixed to negative reactions from critics and fans, added, “I think it’s unfair to judge or label someone a bad, rude, or disrespectful person without knowing them. I think it’s unfair, and it bothers me in some ways. For me, a comment section cannot define a person as good or bad because those people do not know me.”

Sharmin also clarified that in an interview, in which she called Aditi Rao Hydari ‘a schoolgirl’, was ‘was supposed to be a roast’. She added that perhaps it came out a ‘little bit aggressive and could have been toned down’, but it was something that was taken ‘completely out of context’ because the equation she shares with Aditi is very different.