Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Seema Biswas,who is playing a eunuch in her next,Queens! Destiny Of Dance,hopes that the audience will accept her act with arms wide open. Here8230; she shares her experience on working in this film
Tell us about your film Queens! Destiny Of Dance.
Tell us about your role and your appearance in the film.
I am playing the queen of the eunuch community who hails from a royal family in Rajasthan. I8217;ll be seen in designer ghaghra-choli in the film with loads of make-up. In fact,it would take my make-up artiste two-and-a-half-hours to make me look dramatic.
What inspired you to take up this project?
When I heard the story,I found it interesting and challenging. Generally,we have always seen men as transgenders. It was challenging for me to pull off the role of a eunuch because I8217;m quite feminine. So I had to incorporate masculine traits to make the character look real. Usually hijras do a lot of shringar and try to look feminine but once they are angry their aggressive side comes to light. So it was challenging to portray this dichotomy,but over all,it was a learning experience.
Did you get any inputs from real-life transgenders?
Hijras are humble but also proud of their community. They have a keen observation. Once I was not dressed appropriately for a particular scene. One of the real queens came to me and gave me a five-tola 50 gram mangalsutra. She asked me to wear an expensive sari and do good make-up as that is how Guru Ammas usually dress up.
You are being touted as the first Indian actress to do a transgender role. How do you feel?
That is a lot of responsibility. I am a bit worried too because I think I was not up to the mark. I feel that I should have got at least two to three months to prepare for this role. But I only had 20 days to learn about the community and the character that I was playing. I wanted to do a lot of research before the shoot.
So how did you train yourself within such a short time?
It was difficult to play this role as I8217;m quite shy. So I met many Guru Ammas to imbibe their traits. They are beautiful and dignified. They spend a lot of money on their beauty. If they earn 1000 rupees then they spend Rs 800 only on make-up,jewellery and clothes.
Laxmi Narayan Tripathy,who is an eunuch,is playing a major character in the film. How did you find her performance?
Laxmi gave a brilliant performance. She is a complete natural and knows how to deliver her dialogues with ease.
Was Laxmi instrumental in conceiving this project too?
Ten years ago,Laxmi,who is a social activist now,met the director of the film,David Atkins. She asked him to make a film on hijras. So when the time came,he contacted her for help and she happily agreed. She helped a lot in casting.
After doing this film,do you feel more empathy for transgenders?
Yes,these people need love and should be treated equally. Society treats them very badly. During the shoot I met a eunuch who hails from a rich family. She was miserable as her parents were ashamed of her being a hijra. She finally ran away from her home and was given refuge by the hijra community.
Tell us about your upcoming projects.
I am doing Deepa Mehta8217;s Winds Of Change and Rahul Dholakia8217;s Society,which is still in the making though,but a bit of the shooting is pending.
