Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; December 2, 2019)

Film and theatre actor Anshuman Jha, who debuted in Bollywood with Dibakar Banerjee’s Love, Sex Aur Dhoka (2010) and went on to do offbeat films like Yeh Hai Bakrapur (2014), Chauranga (2014), Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain (2017) and No Fathers In Kashmir (2019), is thrilled. His new film Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele (HBATBA), directed by Harish Vyas, has bagged the Best Film Audience Choice Award at the HBO South Asian International Film Festival at its World Premiere in New York City. Excerpts from a chat:

You have done several impressive offbeat films, but a role like this must have been a different challenge. Tell us about your part and prep for the film?
HBATBA is India’s first LGBTQIA film after the Supreme Court’s landmark judgement decriminalising homosexuality in 2018. The film revolves around the friendship between a gay man and a lesbian (played by Zareen Khan) as they embark on a road journey. Veer’s role (my character) was offered to many actors before it finally came to me, and I am glad they all rejected it (laughs!). I was never hesitant to play a gay character, but everyone around me told me that it was not a good idea. However, I took it up as a challenge and did a lot of homework. I read up a lot and met people from the community. HBATBA has been an immensely draining yet satisfying experience. We received great appreciation from the LGBTQIA community in New York. And, the best part is, we were voted the winners. That makes me proud. In India, the community has been repressed for long and judged by society. So, my job as a heterosexual man was to portray Veer in the most sensitive manner possible — without playing him in a conventional way (as we have often seen in our cinema) and making a caricature of the character.

You have played a variety of characters in your career so far. Which of them do you identify the most with?
Over the years, I have realised that I identify the most with vulnerable characters - on stage and screen. Luckily, I have been offered unconventional roles. In my next, Midnight Delhi, I play reallife serial killer, Blademan. I think that even a criminal has a human side to him, and I find portraying that vulnerability challenging. I have never networked for roles and have picked the best from what I was offered.

How was it working with Zareen Khan in HBATBA?
There is a good actor in her, and she must do more roles like this. Our equation and chemistry translated well on screen.

Do you think films like HBATBA will change the way LGBTQIA characters are written for our films?
I think that it’s already changing. Shakun Batra did it with Kapoor & Sons (2016), and our film will take it a step further. Harish Vyas has written the two characters (played by Zareen and me) as a celebration of the community. There was a popular line from a Karan Johar film that I grew up on — ‘Pyaar Dosti Hai’. This film is about discovering that love in friendship.

You are also turning director in 2020…
Bikas Mishra, who I worked with in Chauranga, has written the script of Lord Curzon Ki Haveli, and we both felt that it would be best if I directed it as I am very close to it. It’s a black comedy and features Tannishtha Chatterjee and Arjun Mathur. Two more leads are yet to be locked. It will roll out in the UK in early 2020.

Apart from working on your directorial, what else is on the cards in 2020?
On the personal front, 2019 has been a tough year. My mother is battling cancer, and I have shifted her from Delhi to Mumbai. Hopefully, she will be better soon. For now, I want to cherish every moment with her. Professionally, it’s inspiring to see the kind of work actors like Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal and Vikrant Massey are doing. I also admire Anurag Kashyap and Zoya Akhtar’s work, and hopefully, I will get an opportunity to work with them in 2020.

Zareen Khan talks about her next project, an Indie film, where she plays a lesbian; adds she hopes to get roles where she is not “just glamorous”
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 22, 2019)

“I wanted to do a film where I was not a mere pretty face. I didn’t want to be just glamorous and make no impact in the film,” says Zareen Khan, who is excited about her next project, Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele, where she plays a lesbian.

She had a mega launch opposite superstar Salman Khan in Veer (2010), and then, she appeared in the track Character Dheela from Ready (2011) before being cast in Housefull 2 (2012). But it was with Hate Story 3 (2015), that she received appreciation for her bold role.

“There is a perception regarding me and that’s why I have only been getting certain kind of roles. I did them for a while expecting better roles to come along, but that didn’t happen. I wasn’t feeling too satisfied.” Zareen then decided to take a break and wait for a role that excited her. She is thrilled to be a part of an Indie film, which will premier at the South Asian International Film Festival, New York, USA.

“I just needed the opportunity to show people that I can act. This film was one of them. Shooting for an Indie film was fun and challenging. The budget was limited so the shooting experiences were different from the commercial setup I have been part of before. I understood that the way of working would be different and I was ready for it. I was only looking at the role and the story than anything else,” she says, adding working on the film has given her a lot of satisfaction.

Playing the role of a lesbian is considered bold enough but Zareen shares that she didn’t have any intimate scenes in the film. “It is a story about friendship between a gay boy and a lesbian girl. It also focuses on the emotions and turmoil that the LGBTQ community goes through, even today in society, among their peers and their family. They don’t have the freedom that heterosexuals do. This is a story that needs to be told. As for intimate scenes, had there been scenes with another girl, I will kiss a girl if the role demands. But there is nothing of that sort in this film. Going to New York for the festival is going to be exciting and I am looking forward to experiencing my first film festival,” she concludes.