Heli Daruwala Says Devdas Inspired Her To Become Actress: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Is Dream Director - Exclusive

Heli Daruwala’s introduction to cinema was with the chapter titled Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Inspired by his opulent storytelling and grandeur, especially in Devdas, the actress set her goal and stayed determined

to make it big in the entertainment industry. After working in television shows and OTT projects, Daruwala was recently seen in the film, Ek Chatur Naar. Now, her next milestone would be working with Bhansali. Manifesting this, Heli told Zoom exclusively that Devdas’ song Maar Daala inspired her to become an actor.

Heli Daruwala on Devdas being an inspiration

In an exclusive interview, Heli admitted watching Devdas countless times, “also because I was a Kathak dancer. When I saw the visual of Maar Daala, there was an urge to step inside the frame. It is the best visual I have ever seen in my life.”ALSO READ: TV Newsmakers Today: Abhishek-Heli Hint At Working Together; Shaheer Sheikh Shares Video Of Daughter Anaya She further manifested, “I want to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Since childhood, I know his name and everything he made. That was the only frame I was drawn towards. I was sure that this is what I wanted to become and took kathak seriously and ended up doing visharad in it.”

Heli Daruwala work

Heli has worked extensively on television. She featured in shows like Naagin 3, Nisha Aur Uske Cousins, Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke, and Dastaan-E-Mohabbat: Salim Anarkali. The actress also did music videos, including Darshan Raval and Neeti Mohan’s Vilayati Sharaab. Before Ek Chatur Naar, Heli made her Bollywood debut with Dum Kaata (2007), directed by Amol Palekar, where she played a character named Imli. In 2024, she was seen as Geet in Undekhi Season 3. Her character was secretly a spy.