Gulshan Devaiah says it’s ‘ridiculous’ to debate about whether his Badhaai Do character should’ve been played by queer actor

In the movie Badhaai Do, the actor played the role of Guru Narayan, a queer lawyer. The actor said that he finds the debate about whether only queer actors should play queer characters ‘ridiculous’. He further added, “I think it’s a bit of ridiculous debate to have that a queer actor should have played it. People should get equal opportunities, regardless of their sexual orientation. If you are an actor then you are an actor, you can be hired to play a transgender or a straight part or anything. It should be about fair opportunities.” In the West, Scarlett Johansson famously dropped out of playing a trans character after public outcry.

The irector of the film, Harshvardhan Kulkarni, also had similar opinions. Talking to News18, the director had said,  “We know of a lot of queer actors who are doing heterosexual roles. Those people don’t want to identify themselves as queer and have not come out of the closet so I can’t give out those names. Actors are supposed to be acting, right? I don’t buy this logic at all. However, if queer actors are not being considered for any role, then it is a problem. But the film industry is liberal and an open and accepting place.”

The casting directors of the movie, Shiv Chauhan and Ashish Khare, had spoken about the casting process and had told PTI, “Our job is not only to look for actors who fit the part but also those who are not so widely known, hunt for newer faces, our endeavour is always that. It is a difficult process, a challenge but we enjoy it. Our first instinct is to always cast someone new, because it is easier to cast someone who is doing regular work.”

Devaiah will next be seen opposite Drashti Dhami in the upcoming show Duranga – Two Shades of a Lie. The ZEE5 thriller series is the official adaptation of the Korean show Flower Of Evil.