The female characters Sanjay Leela Bhansali has crafted in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar are fierce, manipulative and audacious. In contrast, the creator paints a picture of vulnerability with Richa Chadha’s Lajjo, who drowns herself in alcohol and delusion after being dumped by her lover. Over the past few days, the actor has been winning love for her part, which echoes well beyond its two episodes.

Chadha notes it is Lajjo’s pain that is resonating with the audiences. “Lajjo is a human reflection of this world’s pain, of people’s loneliness. She suffers from lack of love and wants to belong to someone desperately. People have always seen me play a tomboy or a boisterous part. This is a shift,” smiles the actor, who stars with Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Shaikh and Sharmin Segal in the series.