Mumbai, May 3 (IANS): Fardeen Khan, who makes his comeback after a gap of 14 years with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut OTT series 'Heeramandi', said that he and the filmmaker chatted a lot about quitting smoking.

Fardeen Khan was interacting with the media at a panel discussion on the period drama centered around the lives of Lahore's courtesans against the backdrop of the Quit India Movement.

When asked about his experiences with the prolific filmmaker on and off the camera, Fardeen said, "He is passionate and he knows what he wants. If he strikes a chord with you, he will invite you into his process of working and he listens to you. This is how things should be."

He went on to add: "I never got a chance to work with such an engrossed and passionate filmmaker, I did not get a chance to have many conversations with him on anything other than movies. But still, we talked about pets, giving up smoking, and mothers.”

On giving up smoking, Fardeen recalled the conversation he had with SLB: "I gave up smoking, he wanted to give up smoking, so we had a chat about it.”

Praising SLB for being a true master of filmmaking, Fardeen said, "I just can't imagine him doing anything else besides making movies. In your life, once in a while you meet people who are masters in what they do. He is one such person. It is not often that you meet true masters. He is truly a master."