Showing posts with label Sheer Qorma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sheer Qorma. Show all posts
In a film like Kapoor & Sons, Fawad Khan’s character of a queer person was an important one-Shabana Azmi
8:26 AM
Nuzhat Aziz (BOMBAY TIMES; September 28, 2021)
After more than two decades of the release of Deepa Mehta’s controversial film Fire, actor Shabana Azmi feels that the representation of same-sex relationships in mainstream cinema is finally being dealt with empathy, rather than mockery. From playing a character in a same-sex love film, to essaying a mother who finds it difficult to accept her daughter’s relationship in an upcoming project, she feels that even today, despite the far greater acceptance and awareness of LGBTQIA issues, there is still reluctance and misconstrued notions around the same.
Having recently won the Best Actor for Sheer Qorma at the India International Film Festival at Boston, the versatile actress talks to us about how important it is to showcase the underrepresented LGBTQIA community in mainstream cinema, how dissent is valid in a healthy democracy and what the pandemic has taught her. Excerpts:
Sheer Qorma has been showcased at several festivals and is winning praises and acceptance. Your thoughts on being part of a project that highlights an underrepresented group like the LGBTQIA community in India, especially after the decriminalization of Section 377.
I think that this is a subject whose time came several years ago. If you look at Fire, which was made in 1996, it was a logical extension of that. A film like this is very important because it is done in a very sensitive manner to sensitize people who still have mixed reactions about the topic. I think that Sheer Qorma is an important film, particularly because it has been made by a queer, non-binary filmmaker (Faraz Arif Ansari) and it has been his journey and struggle in being able to come out with it.
Fire released in the 90s and created a controversy because it spoke of same-sex love. How far have we come from then? Do you feel the queer community has greater representation and acceptance in mainstream cinema today?
Certainly, because earlier it was inconceivable that any actor, particularly in mainstream cinema, would agree to play a character from the queer community. But now, although in the beginning it almost happened surreptitiously, the fact is that in a film like Kapoor & Sons, Fawad Khan’s character of a queer person was an important one. So, I think the queer narrative is making its way into mainstream cinema by being dealt with empathy, rather than mockery. This not only leads to acceptance of people with different choices in love, but also gives hope that this acceptance of the “other” will then be extended to communities, nations, gender, race and religion; and that’s what we need. Not just tolerance, but acceptance as well.
Your character in Sheer Qorma is layered.Even though you have accepted your child’s sexual identity, it somewhere rattles you to see them in the same light as your son and his partner. Do we, in some way, cause the damage to our children because of our inability to understand what exists outside of us?
Parents are still in that space where they think ‘Oh my God, I have done something wrong’. Any departure from a social norm is considered wrong and then you either blame yourself, or the other person. So, it requires a sea change of attitude. We are inching towards it. I think one of the most important dialogues in the film is where the mother says: “Yeh khuda ke khilaaf hai” (This is against God). And then her son says, “Magar jinhone inko banaya hai woh bhi toh usi khuda ne banaya hai, ya kisi aur ne?” (But God has created them and they are part of his creations). And that makes the penny drop for her.
This is the point that the actors, filmmaker and writer are making – this is love. People have different kinds and expressions of love – who are we to judge them? It is all this prejudice that keeps surfacing and erupting, not only when it comes to same-sex love, but to anybody who is different from us. You need people in the public eye who have accepted same-sex relationships of their children. Because when you start seeing this being accepted, then people who are less empowered will get the courage to accept it.
Your recent web series, The Empire, was subject to trolling and ran into a controversy because some felt that it glorifies the Mughal ruler Babur…
Political agendas have permeated into every single thing in our society, and you have to negotiate your way through that. You cannot treat every comment and remark as a war. People have a right to express their opinion and dissent is one of the strongest things in a democracy. So, when people have the right, some of them will use it, some will misuse it. When you welcome all the accolades, you also have to accept the brickbats. It’s part of the game.
You recently shot for Jemima Goldsmith’s What’s Love Got to Do With It, along with Emma Thompson. What was the experience like, especially during the lockdown period?
I left on January 3, which was the height of the pandemic, and we completed the film in 38 days. We were in a very tight bubble and the whole crew was tested every single day. We were all very respectful of the bubble and weren’t allowed to meet anybody outside our shooting group. It was bitingly cold, and the outdoor sequences were very hard, but with actors, I think it is just an adrenaline rush that comes up when you are against forces. The film is a lovely rom-com and I think that kept people’s spirits up.
The Coronavirus pandemic has made all of us look at the world differently. Do you think we will see the world in a better light now?
It makes you very sharply aware of the fact that every single person, from the richest to the poorest country, is connected. It is evident now that we have become a global village. For me personally, what it has made me do is distinguish between needs and wants. We have an overdose of everything – clothes, shoes, bags, books - anything that catches our fancy. Throughout the two years of the pandemic, I did not buy a single thing and have always felt the need to curb the material desire.
To have Divya Dutta and Swara Bhasker as co actors in Sheer Qorma was a bonus-Shabana Azmi
8:03 AM
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; July 6, 2021)
In a career spanning over four decades, Shabana Azmi has been seen in a wide range of roles, and several of them focused on social issues and were applauded for being brave attempts at bringing taboo subjects onto the big screen. Recently, she featured in the short film Sheer Qorma along with Swara Bhasker and Divya Dutta. The film directed by Faraz Arif Ansari focuses on the relationship of a same-sex couple — played Swara and Divya, and how love is judged in society based on gender and sexuality. The film, which has been screened and appreciated at various film festivals, won Best Short Film Audience Award at the Frameline Fest and has also qualified for the BAFTA this year.
Shabana says, “Divya Dutta, who is a dear friend, spoke to me about the film, and I liked the script. When I met Faraz, I knew I had made the right decision. To have Divya and Swara as co-actors was a bonus. The attitude of the mother I play reflects most of society’s attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community. The film succeeds in making the audience see the protagonists as people who are in love.”
Shabana has previously featured in Deepa Mehta’s film Fire (1996), which focused on two women who form an intimate bond. The actress says, “Fire was made 25 years ago, and although the climate around the LGBTQ+ community has softened, a lot more needs to be done. For me, acceptance of who you consider 'the others' — the other race, religion and nation — is needed. Tolerance is different from acceptance. We are enriched when we accept diversity and stop judging people through prejudiced eyes. I remember watching Wong Kar-wai’s Happy Together (1997), and it was so refreshing to have the two male leads presented normally.”
There are no Indian films about non-binary people, queer women, trans people-Faraz Arif Ansari
7:57 AM
Rishabh Deb (BOMBAY TIMES; June 22, 2021)
When British actor Riz Ahmed recently spoke of misrepresentation of Muslims in Hollywood, it resonated with filmmaker Faraz Arif Ansari, who feels the same about queer representation in Indian cinema. Representation is a word that weighs heavily with the filmmaker, and though he feels that queer representation has become better than before, he says marginalised persons from the community, like lesbians, transgender, non-binary, queer Muslims, rarely find a space in cinema, TV or OTT shows in India. “The stories are mostly about cis gay men, that too not progressive but feeding to the stereotype,” says Faraz, who is doing his bit to change this narrative. His short film Sheer Qorma, starring Shabana Azmi, Swara Bhasker and Divya Dutta has won a lot of praise at various film festivals. The film is a letter of acceptance, love and understanding from a Muslim non-binary queer woman to their mom.
In a Pride Month special interview, Faraz speaks about why a progressive portrayal of queer people is needed more than ever today and why it is time to tell queer stories by queer people and not give that space to anyone else. Read on...
‘INCLUSIVITY IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR’
“The reason why I made Sheer Qorma was because it talks about the underrepresented community in global cinema. There are no Indian films about non-binary people, queer women, trans people. We don’t see them as protagonists. The representation of the underrepresented is something that I am very keen on as a filmmaker. Be it my trans, non-binary or queer Muslim siblings — my films will always have a space for them. I am as much of a Muslim as I am a queer person, and it is non-negotiable. I think that needs to be understood and respected,” says Faraz.
He also adds that steps need to be taken towards inclusivity. “I was reading a tweet of a man from the US that said that every time he watches American TV, he does not see white people in it. To that, someone replied, ‘Now you know what representation means.’ In the US, so many people of colour are getting representation. The Academy Awards have made it mandatory to have representation and nominations — these are the steps towards inclusivity and progressivism. Are we doing this in India? No!”
‘LET US TELL OUR STORIES’
Faraz has been vocal about existing prejudices against non-binary, transgender people and queer Muslims, even within the LGBTQIA+ community. And he feels unless queer people take that space up to tell their stories, nothing will change.
“The reason why I always stress on positive representation is that queer narrative was always put forth by heterosexual people — so, we were shown in scandalous storylines. We need to take those spaces and tell our truth. We rarely see queer characters on Indian TV. Ads or big brands rarely show us in a healthy and happy relationship. And what we see on OTT feeds on the stereotype. It is 2021 — in the US, they are making shows on trans people of colour. What are we doing — we are paying cis-gender actors to play queer roles — and surprisingly, they are not even allies. I feel this also needs to be said — hire queer people, pay queer people and give us our space. We need progressive queer content narrated and represented by queer people,” stresses Faraz, who does the same for his projects.
‘WE ARE GENERATIONS BEHIND WHEN IT COMES TO EQUALITY’
Faraz is happy to see changes such as the new inclusive LGBTQIA+ flag, the Madras High Court ban on medical attempts to cure sexual orientation; changes to school curricula to educate students about queer people. However, he feels that due to prevalent discrimination, queer people are still generations behind when it comes to equality.
“I am genuinely impressed with the Madras High Court judgement — these are basic human rights. We were waiting for this judgement for years. Now, I really want to see it being activated in our society. But we are generations behind when it comes to equality,” he says.
Swara Bhasker wants more people from queer community behind the camera
8:09 AM
The actor points out the stereotypical and caricatured representation of the LGBT community on-screen
Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 16, 2021)
Swara Bhasker’s short film, Sheer Qorma, themed on homosexuality will have its world premiere at the on-going San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival in the USA. In her words, it’s rather “rewarding and validating” to have a project screened at one of the oldest queer film fests in the world.
Sharing her excitement, she says, “Children feeling misunderstood by their parents and parents struggling to understand their children’s choices is one of the most universal experiences of our growing up days. This is a beautiful particularity about our film. I’m proud and honoured to be a part of this special film.”
The actor says that the LGBTQ+ community, especially in Indian mainstream cinema, have been represented in a certain stereotypical way, and believes that it is important to change it.
“When you have straight people, who aren’t aware, haven’t spoken to and don’t have friends who belong to this community, making these films, they are bound to get a stereotypical view. They do not locate the characters in tandem with the lived experiences of the community and just replicate whatever has been shown earlier,” she says.
Ask Bhasker about what can bring about a change and she asserts, “The way to change is to have more people from the community behind the camera and in the writing process.”
Talking about how “a new breed of opinionated influencers” are playing an important role in driving change by making homosexuality a part of the mainstream discourse, the Bhaag Beanie Bhaag actor elaborates, “Social media reflects the voices of different kinds of people. If there’s a stereotypical representation in your content, you’ll have to hear it from the public and even the community. This has created greater accountability and greater awareness. The road ahead looks good because the community is a lot more vocal and more people have become more sensitive towards them.”
My discomfort begins when we say only LGBTQ+ actors can play queer parts-Swara Bhasker
8:30 AM
With Sheer Qorma set to premiere at the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Swara Bhasker says the Shabana Azmi-starrer aims to bridge the gap between parents and children
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 7, 2021)
Swara Bhasker and Divya Dutta’s tender love story, Sheer Qorma, will have its premiere at the BAFTA Qualifying Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival that kicks off on June 10. Bhasker is elated at the recognition as she says, “It has been delayed by a year. It was to premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in April last year. Though we can’t be there in person, the team should do a virtual celebration.”
The Faraz Ansari-directed short film revolves around Dutta’s character who falls in love with Bhasker’s Sitara and is disowned by her mother, played by Shabana Azmi. Dan Levy, creator of Schitt’s Creek, once said that through his same-sex love track, he wanted to depict the transformational effects of love when the threat of intolerance has been removed from the equation.
For Bhasker, Sheer Qorma reflects a similar sentiment. “This is a happy, non-cause-based film. There’s nothing wrong with movies [that champion] a cause, but while discussing marginalised identities, why must the narrative be ridden with strife and conflict? Our world is so complicated, and this on-screen experience offers hope. This film is not just inclusive of the queer community, but also towards people who are uncomfortable with homosexuality. It helps a generation that doesn’t understand it, make sense of it. It talks about children being misunderstood by their parents, and parents feeling frustrated with their children’s choices.”
Of late, there has been an increased discussion around straight actors playing LGBTQIA+ parts, with many proposing that only queer artistes have the authenticity and sensitivity to play these roles. Bhasker weighs in on the discourse, saying, “That is a slippery slope. When the film came to me, I spoke to my friends who are lesbians to understand how to play the part, but eventually I’m playing a girl in love. I know what that feels like. I am all for representation. I understand when it comes to race and physical appearance. But my discomfort begins when we say only LGBTQ+ actors can play [queer] parts. That way, there’s a chance that gay people won’t be offered straight parts. I’m not okay with that because then it’ll become that only Hindus can play Hindus, and Muslims can play Muslims. Let’s make casting diverse, but let’s not create new traps like these.”
I want a bikini-fit body this year, says Swara Bhasker
8:15 AM
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUTAN TIMES; April 9, 2021)
After Holi in Delhi, Swara Bhasker, who has been shooting for her new film in the Capital, will be in Goa for her birthday. The actor, who loves celebrating birthdays and gets excited for not just hers but her friends and family, too, will be on shoot, in Goa. “I like shooting on my birthdays. There is nothing more fulfilling and satisfying to be working, especially after last year,” says Bhasker, who turns 33 today.
The actor has donated diapers at an NGO that takes care of abandoned little girls on her birthday as she was quite moved by their plight after reading about some cases and stories in the media. “I came across some really sad stories of abandonment of girls in Uttar Pradesh while I was shooting there, so I went to Budaun, met the people working in the NGO and heard first-hand about abandoned babies. It is a real issue and there is no census for the real number. Activists say the number is insane and I felt humbled looking at all the work they were doing. So, I decided to do my own small bit,” she says.
In life, for Bhasker, one of the big ticks in her bucket list has been to make it in Bollywood as an actor. Calling herself a “rank outsider and not even a model” to make it is huge is a big deal, she says. “Look at the number of people who come to Mumbai to become actors and for me, a regular college girl, to arrive in the city and give acting a shot — what were the chances for me to succeed? In terms of roles, Nil Battey Sannata (2016), Anaarkali Of Aarah (2017), Veere Di Wedding (2018) are some performances, which stood out. Moreover, shows Rasbhari, Bhaag Beanie Bhaag and Flesh, too, have been well received. I have some exciting films coming up including Sheer Qorma and Jahan Chaar Yaar. But, as an actor, there is always the hunger to do more and perform better.”
Ask about her plans and goals for the next two years and she says, “I have written two scripts and I am working on getting them on the floors. Personally, this year, I want to get a bikini-fit body. I also would like to see some personal growth as well.” Is marriage on her mind at all? “Marriage has to be with the right person and if that happens, sure, why not? I would like a family of my own. I am much more traditional than my social media personality suggests. It is a big thing I have realised in the last year,” she concludes.
Lesbian love stories are blossoming on screen
8:33 AM
It’s been 25 years since Deepa Mehta made Fire, India’s first mainstream same-sex story. But it’s only now that queer women are getting their space on screen
Sonam Joshi (BOMBAY TIMES; April 4, 2021)
A female bank employee finds herself irresistibly drawn to a woman who sings jazz at a pub in Mumbai. A closeted student confesses to her best friend that she’s finally found someone she likes — another girl on their campus in Jaipur. Two women, a gym trainer and a film star, walk down the aisle in Udaipur in the presence of friends. A married woman begins a clandestine affair with her late colleague’s widow in Delhi. A queer woman and non-binary person seek acceptance from their families.
These storylines from recent films (Sheer Qorma) and web shows (Bombay Begums, Mismatched, Four More Shots Please! and The Married Woman) show how much screen portrayals of queer women have evolved, reflecting not just the hurdles of same-sex relationships but also the fun, the romance and heck, even the ordinariness of it all. Not surprising since many of them have LGBTQ writers and filmmakers at the helm.
Director Faraz Arif Ansari, whose latest film Sheer Qorma stars Swara Bhasker and Divya Dutta as a couple, recalls being asked why they chose to make a film about queer men and not women during a screening of their debut Sisak. “It got me thinking ‘Where are the queer women?” says Ansari, who is non-binary. Ansari adds that the film hopes “to open a deeper dialogue about love and acceptance, especially in South Asian communities across the world”.
Shohini Ghosh, media professor at Jamia Millia Islamia, says it’s just the beginning and as the idea of same-sex love becomes more acceptable in society, queer sexuality will become more visible on screen. “I think the exciting process has begun and will continue,” she says, giving the example of the 2019 queer romance Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. “When the star body, in this case Sonam Kapoor’s, embraces queer sexuality it becomes a powerful statement in itself,” she says. “It is a delight to see a whole new generation of women, like Bani J and Lisa Ray for example, who are comfortable and uninhibited about playing queer roles.”
So why has it taken so long, though there were subtle hints at lesbian love in Dedh Ishqiya? After all, it’s been 25 years since Fire introduced a lesbian love story to mainstream audiences for the first time in 1996. Writer Apurva Asrani, who has worked on Aligarh and Made In Heaven which had queer men in lead roles, says that it simply boils down to the fact that the dominant voice continues to be that of men. “Women’s voices are muffled in our society, so even within the LGBTQ scene and pride marches, the representation for women is lesser than that of men,” he says. “Maybe that’s why we haven’t had many stories out there.”
Ansari says that when they reached out to producers for Sheer Qorma, they were told to change the lead characters of the queer woman and non-binary individual to men. “I was even told to cast ‘hot, muscular, fair men’ and I would have the required investment,” they say. “Misogyny is real and runs deeper than you and I can imagine.”
But some of that’s changing, and Ghosh credits the blossoming of queer romance to the hard work of activists. “In the early 1990s, none of us would have guessed that queer sexuality would find such wide acceptance. To a very great extent the activism of the LGBTQI community has been responsible for this.”
Gazal Dhaliwal, a trans woman who wrote Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga and Mismatched, says the reading down of section 377 in 2018 has given creators more freedom. “Earlier, there was an inhibition because the very act of loving someone from the same sex was a crime but that is not there anymore. I see more people coming out and owning their identities so there are more stories both on and off screen.”
There has also been a rise in the number of queer women like Dhaliwal in the television and film industries. Dhaliwal says it is important to give space to queer creators to tell their stories, and create nuanced characters rather than caricatures. For instance, while adapting a rom-com novel into the Netflix series Mismatched, she consciously stayed away from clichés. “We wanted to flip the cliche of the female lead’s gay male best friend by having a male protagonist with a female gay best friend,” she says. “She’s also a regular girl-next-door who falls in love with a character who isn’t gay.”
Asrani feels it’s important to have queer creators if you want to tell a story sensitively. “Otherwise it is like mansplaining,” says Asrani, adding that “the Hindi film industry is one of the gayest and also very closeted film industries and to find queer writers and filmmakers is actually very easy.”
Sulagna Chatterjee, 24, is a queer screenwriter who has penned slice-of-life same-sex romances such as Firsts on YouTube and the forthcoming short film Feels Like Ishq on Netflix. “I wanted to tell love stories that our community can relate to,” she says. “Growing up, I barely had such content. There were stories of discrimination, pain and the hard side of accepting our sexuality but we deserve to have our sappy romances to watch with our partners too.”
Firsts follows the relationship of a young lesbian couple who move in together soon after they start dating, and explores the themes of coming out and being in a relationship for the first time. “Many queer women said it was an inside joke, since we are known to jump into relationships,” she says. Feels Like Ishq is also about navigating romance and youth. “Often sexuality is used as a plot point to drive the story, but queer people have lives that are not just defined by their sexuality,” she says.
However, filmmaker Onir, whose next film We Are celebrates gay, lesbian, trans and bisexual love stories, feels that on-screen representation still amounts to tokenism “which keeps a heteronormative audience comfortable”. Ansari agrees. “The whole increase in queer content has not really been about representation but about cishet people (a heterosexual person who identifies as the gender they were born with) using their inauthentic, tokenism to tell queer narratives.” Ansari says it’s time to put the spotlight on queer makers. “Let us tell our stories. Like I keep saying, move, cis!”
Chatterjee says even LGBTQ stories need to go a step further. “We need to talk about gender fluidity, asexuality, trans lives. Our spectrum shouldn’t be about just men loving men and women loving women.”
I am writing a memoir on the film industry. It will chronicle my journey in cinema-Divya Dutta
8:25 AM
It's not her biography insists Divya Dutta, as she gears to write her next book
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; April 26, 2020)
"Writing a book is no joke," starts off Divya Dutta, whose last published work, Me and Ma, hit the stands in 2017. Trying to meet her publisher's deadline, the actor has already begun work on her next book amidst the lockdown.
The actor agrees that it takes up most of her time. "I think people liked my nostalgic journey [in Me And Ma] and it's beautiful to express what you feel and find a connect with the readers," says Dutta, as she makes writing her priority.
She reveals that being in the film industry for almost two decades has provided fodder for her book. "I am writing a memoir on the film industry. It will chronicle my journey in cinema, but I wouldn't call it a biography," says the actor as she explains that the earlier book was also a chapter of her life, but through the eyes of her mother. "This is going to be different from what I have written or shared before," says Dutta of the yet-untitled book.
Dutta's next, Sheer Qorma, is a story on the LGBTQAI+ community. She credits her impulsive nature for her choice of films. "I am called a risk-taker because I am impulsive about my choices. I go by my intuition when I get a script. The story of Sheer Qorma moved me as it talks about acceptance by the people you love unconditionally," says the actor, adding Fire (1996) was ahead of its time.
"I hope this film will help normalise something that we make an issue out of."
I am completely fine and have fully recovered-Shabana Azmi
8:15 AM
Sonil Dedhia (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 18, 2020)
If you compare those graphic images to the outpouring of love and concern that came my way from my audience, it overwhelmed me so completely that nothing else mattered,” says Shabana Azmi from Budapest, Hungary, where she’s currently shooting for Steven Spielberg’s Halo. The veteran actor met with an accident on the Mumbai-Pune-Expressway a couple of months back. As her upcoming short film, Sheer Qorma, on same sex relationship is about to release, she opens up on the changing portrayal of homosexuality in Hindi cinema across decades. Excerpts:
You met with a road accident in January. How is your health now?
I am completely fine and have fully recovered. Currently, I am in Budapest shooting for Halo (produced by Steven Spielberg) and I am happy to be back on the sets.
Pictures of the unfortunate incident were circulated on social media. Many felt that it was insensitive and intrusive. Did that bother you?
My family was upset. It was kept away from me for the longest time as I didn’t have my cellphone. When I saw it, I was on my way to recovery. At that moment, I was just really grateful to those who helped me and the hospital staff.
Right from Fire (1996), the release of which was opposed and banned, to Sheer Qorma now, how do you think the portrayal of the LGBTQ community in Hindi cinema has changed?
I have to say that this genre has opened up, really. The frequency of films that deal with a sensitive subject like homosexuality are being made, have increased in the last few years which is a great sign. The audience, too, is accepting this kind of cinema. Earlier, homosexuality was ridiculed in mainstream cinema but now, we see this subject being tackled sensitively. But at the same time, I feel it is only a section of audience especially in the metros who has have accepted this change.
What would you attribute this change to?
The notion of a family is changing. It is no longer just a heterogeneous family that we accept as a norm. We have seen two partners of the same sex having a baby and I think it is a healthy sign. The notion of family is being redefined as it is no longer restricted to having a baby biologically.
What do you think about mainstream actors working in films dealing with sensitive subjects?
I always believe that films are a reflection of our society and good films can influence society. There is a relation but there is an acceptance, too, and that has to be applauded. Actors today, aren’t shying away from experimenting. The credit should also go to the producer who is ready to back a film on a sensitive subject and the writer who writes the script. The Supreme Court’s decision of scrapping Section 377 was a big propeller towards positively changing the perspective that people had towards the LGBTQ community. It is a great time to be an actor. Gender and age are no longer considered while casting someone.
In a career spanning over 45 years, have you ever faced sexism and ageism?
I have been extremely lucky and my career has always been about being at the right place at the right time. It was my good fortune that Shyam Benegal’s Ankur (1974) became the film that propelled parallel cinema forward. Consequently, I got many different roles from what I would have got had I worked only in mainstream cinema. I never faced lack of acceptance.
Sheer Qorma will normalise issue discussion around homosexuality-Swara Bhasker
7:45 AM
Unlike films that use commercial tropes to sell same-sex love stories, Swara Bhasker says Sheer Qorma tackles subject for what it is
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; March 13, 2020)
Be it by employing comedy (Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan) or by minimising the depiction of intimate scenes (Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga), Bollywood is taking baby steps towards making the depiction of gay love stories in cinema, commonplace. In the same vein comes Swara Bhasker-starrer Sheer Qorma, that depicts the longing for acceptance felt by queer children living with parents.
Bhasker counts this film among the firsts to "normalise" discussion around the subject. "That is what cinema [should do], given that it's such a powerful medium. The visual medium reaches the heart directly. So, the soft-power that cinema enjoys is immense. It will be among the films that transform a dominant mindset. Our story gets to the core of the issue without making any bones about it. It tackles the discomfort felt by a generation [with traditional mindsets]." Bhasker counts India among the countries that are opening their arms to people of different sexual preferences. "Rights have to be fought for, and won, and that's happening now in India. Two of my friends are gay; I've watched them struggle. From the day they confided in me, it was a given that I was okay with it."
Sharing screen space with Shabana Azmi was another bonus for Bhasker. "Watching her made me realise how many miles I have to go before I sleep. I've never seen an actor own lines like she does."
I’m getting maximum compliments now, when I’m 40-Divya Dutta
7:51 AM
Abhimanyu Mathur (BOMBAY TIMES; November 1, 2019)
The year 2018 was a dream year for Divya Dutta. After over two decades in the industry, she realised two big dreams — walking the red carpet at Cannes (for Manto, 2018) and winning a National Award. After this, Divya did what many actors normally don’t do when they have it so good — she took a break from acting. “There comes a point in an actor’s life when they have to just lie back and let things fall into place. When there is so much hustle and bustle, you need things to calm down for some clarity,” says the actress. The break worked like a charm, it seems, for Divya has signed almost a dozen projects upon returning.
‘I DID NOT FIT THE MOULD OF THE CONVENTIONAL HEROINE’
The common factor among the films and short films she is doing now is that they are based on unconventional subjects. There is a film on human trafficking, a Malala Yousufzai biopic, and a short film where she plays one half of a same-sex couple.
She explains, “I always had an unconventional career because I didn’t fit the mould of the conventional heroine. I have never romanced the hero as such, but my roles were powerful enough to be remembered. I’m getting maximum compliments now, when I’m 40. I am getting to romance heroes and even heroines. I’m totally loving it because it’s rare, particularly in India. I feel privileged to get the opportunity to play these roles.”
She mentions getting to romance a heroine because that is what she is doing in her upcoming short film, Sheer Qorma, which stars Swara Bhasker as Divya’s partner and Shabana Azmi as her mother. “It is totally different from what I have done before. Playing a queer person is new for me. Faraz (Arif Ansari, the director) said he had written the character with me in mind, which felt good. With Shabana ji and Swara, it turned out to be something great. I am sure the queer community is going to be looked at with a much more sensitive and beautiful perspective after this film,” she says.
‘IN A SAME-SEX LOVE STORY, PEOPLE’S ATTENTION IS ON INTIMATE SCENES’
Sheer Qorma isn’t the first film to feature a same-sex love story. But whenever such a film is announced, there is a lot of buzz around any intimate scenes involving the lead actors. Divya admits it’s the same with this film, too, and not just with the masses, even with her acquaintances. She shares, “Before watching the film, people’s attention is always on the intimate scenes. I don’t blame them because that is something people would want to know. When I meet people, they do ask, ‘Aise wale scenes bhi hain?’ I think when they watch the film, they’ll know that it is much more than that. There is one intimate scene, but it’s such an emotional scene that you won’t even bother about the other aspects of it.”
Talking about whether she was comfortable doing the intimate scenes, she says, “For me, what matters is who you are working with and what you are working on. When all that fits naturally, I let it go. Then, I just want the role that I am playing to come out the way it should.”
‘IN DELHI, JUNIOR ARTISTES COME AND CHAT WITH YOU’
About the way she portrays her charcters, Divya says that familiarity with the place where the story is set helps an actor. She explains, “The environment does help. Earlier this year, when I was in Lucknow, I had to adopt a different dialect from what I have. So, I told my cab driver ki aap bas baat karo. He must have wondered why I wanted to chat with him, but you get the language when you converse with the locals.”
The actress, who has been shooting in and around Delhi, adds, “When I was shooting in the Capital, there were a lot of juniors around and there is that Dilli-wala feel in them. They would come and start chatting; the Punjabi warmth just came across. If that enters your subconscious, it helps,” she adds.
Love is love, whether you are queer or straight-Divya Dutta
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Faraz Ansari, Shabana Azmi, Swara Bhasker and Divya Dutta (rear row) meet Haima Simoes and Shruti Venkatesh. Location Courtesy/The Latit. Pic/Ashish Rane
Swara Bhasker, Divya Dutta, Shabana Azmi and the maker of their characters meet a female queer couple to see if the L in LGBTQi is getting enough screen time
Anju Maskeri (MID-DAY; October 13, 2019)
In 2017, Faraz Ansari released the 20-minute silent film, Sisak. Mostly self- funded and partially crowdfunded, it told the story of unspoken love between two men who travel on a Mumbai local. The film won awards at 44 film festivals.
Two years later, Mumbai-based Ansari is back with Sheer Qorma starring Swara Bhasker and Divya Dutta, women in love with each other, and Shabana Azmi as Bhasker’s mother.
Bhasker and Dutta agree to meet for a chat with Haima Simoes and Shruti Venkatesh, a young lesbian couple from Mumbai. The women work as programme coordinators for One Future Collective, a feminist youth led not-for-profit organisation that works on building compassionate youth social leadership in India, and are occasional models.
Edited excerpts from a freewheeling conversation on what it means to be gay in India after 377 was decriminalized, and how realistically straight characters can play queer on screen.
Making women count
Faraz: When I travelled with Sisak to over 150 film festivals, I realised that patriarchy exists within the queer community too. I met a Pakistani lady, who felt the protagonists in my film could have been women. The only reason I hadn’t chosen women was because I wouldn’t have managed permissions to shoot inside the ladies’ compartment. But, her words stayed with me. Among the queer section, women of colour are the most underrepresented. As a filmmaker, I enjoy a certain privilege and there was little point if I didn’t use it.
Swara: The day the Sheer Qorma trailer released, an assistant director I’ve worked in the past, gushed how happy she was that I was playing a gay character. She is lesbian and has been trying to get her parents to come around. Her family has dismissed her choice and wants her to get therapy. She asked if she could work on the film, because if she was part of the crew, her family would at least watch it. I realised how powerful film can be for social change.
Shabana: Yes. I play a parent who has reservations about her daughter’s sexual orientation, and for me to say, ‘yeh kudrat ke khilaf hai’ is something I don’t believe in. I’m saying exactly the opposite of what I, Shabana, believes. But the character graph was so very important that it’s a story that had to be told. A couple of years ago, I did this American film, Signature Move, which was screened at Tribeca. I played a mother who moves into her daughter’s home after her husband has passed away and spends all her time through looking through binoculars at prospective husbands for her daughter. Later, not only do I realise that she is gay, but that she is also a lucha libre wrestler. That was more comedy; this is much more emotional.
Mumbai the LGBTQi mecca
Shabana: Deepa Mehta’s Fire released in 1997. Since then, there’s so much more discussion on queer subjects, and not just in films. If you decided to make a queer film now, you’ll have a safer passage than you did then.
Faraz: I remember watching Fire at Regal Cinema. I was underage but had managed to get access because my dad somebody who worked at the theatre. I was so moved and happy to learn that there are more people like myself in this world. Before that, nobody had attempted a true representation of same-sex relationships in Indian cinema.
Haima: Being queer is much easier in Mumbai than in other [Indian] cities. Shruti and I met each other in college. The non-judgmental, liberal atmosphere on campus helped our relationship blossom. The fact that the college was accepting and full of strong feminist women— we even had a queer professor— helped us come to terms with our sexuality.
Shruti: It was so liberal that that you’d have to be closeted if you were homophobic, in fact!
Shabana: What you just said is significant. This is true transformation.
Shruti: But when you move from a safe space such as that one into society, you feel at sea. That’s when you feel the discrimination. Although we live together now, renting an apartment is always difficult. There’s prejudice everywhere. For instance, I have stopped going to gynecologists. There are always uncomfortable questions asked regarding your sexuality that are far from relevant to the issue. Similarly, trans people have it much worse when it comes to healthcare.
Haima: Bathroom signages depicting skirt and pants to differentiate men and women can be quite stressful for trans and non binary people. Every time I step inside the ladies restroom, I get the stares just because I don’t fit into the accepted idea of a woman.
Love is love
Swara: I’ve never played a gay character, and so, while I did wonder if I should speak to a gay person before filming, I later asked myself if I would have done it before playing a heterosexual. I decided against it. I don’t know if that was right but I wanted to discover the character within me.
Divya: I think acting is all about reacting. When I am playing the role of Saira, I think the idea is to find the complexes and vulnerability within you. Love is love, whether you are queer or straight.
Shruti: As the audience, I am more importantly looking for the right treatment of the character. What I want to see is a realistic portrayal minus the caricature.
Faraz: I’ve made a family film, but I’ve also not shied away from giving room to intimacy, because it supported the narrative. But the reason I chose to name it after a dish is because food is a metaphor. When I came out to my mother at 21, she did not speak to me for six months. And when she eventually did, she decided to make it up by preparing biryani. Food can unite.
Shabana Azmi to play 'Mother India of 21st century' in Sheer Qorma
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Actress plays a pivotal role in a film that features Swara Bhasker and Divya Dutta and tackles the LGBTQ community’s longing for love and acceptance
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 30, 2019)
Mirror has learnt that Shabana Azmi has joined the cast of writer-director Faraz Arif Ansari’s Sheer Qorma, which tackles the LGBTQ community’s struggles for love and acceptance, which begin at home. The film features Swara Bhasker and Divya Dutta as lovers and will see the National Award-winning actress in a pivotal role.Confirming the news, Shabana informs, “I was moved by the script which was recommended to me by Divya. After that, I met Faraz who came across as sincere, honest and deeply committed to the story. The bonus is working with Divya and Swara, so we figured out the dates and I said ‘yes’ to the project. We had the first workshop last week and everything came together organically. I am looking forward to the shoot.” The actress, who plays Divya’s mother in the film, has earlier worked with her in J P Dutta’s Umrao Jaan, and Jayant Gilatar’s Chalk n Duster.
Faraz promises that Shabana’s character will not only resonate with mothers across the world but will also open a universal dialogue on parenthood that he hope will bring a lot of love back into our universe. “Shabana ji’s character is the mother we all deserve—the Mother India of the 21st Century,” asserts the director who starts shooting this week in Mumbai.
He admits that every time he meets her, it feels surreal. “When I was in school, I made a list of actors I wanted to work with and Shabana ji’s name was in the top three. She brings so much life and love to the set. Her jokes, emotional gravitas and determination to make everything beautiful is such a learning for me,” Faraz signs off.
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