Initially offered the king's role in Paurashpur, Milind Soman talks about why he chose to represent the third gender on screen.
Milind Soman in Paurashpur
Close on the heels of Sharad Kelkar's act in Laxmii, Milind Soman slips into the role of a transgender person for the period drama, Paurashpur. Turns out, the actor was initially offered the role of the king in the ALTBalaji and ZEE5 series, but he had his heart set on telling the story of Boris. "Though it's an interesting character and Annu [Kapoor] has done a fabulous job, I was not keen on the role and turned it down. Months later, they came to me with another character. That's when I told them that I want to play the role of the transgender," recounts the actor, who features in the Shachindra Vats-directed venture alongside Kapoor, Shilpa Shinde, Sahil Salathia, and Poulomi Das, among others.
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Two weeks ago, Soman surprised his fans by sharing his look as Boris, complete with a nose pin, bindi and kohl, on Instagram. "A section of social media users wrote that they want to see the macho Milind, and that they like my masculine avatar. These were reactions from people who have obviously not seen my work before. I have worn kajal and walked the ramp as a model earlier. [These comments aside], people have responded well to the trailer," he says.
In a glaring example of the lack of inclusion, the third gender has hardly been represented in Hindi cinema and showbiz. Worse, the few instances when they have been portrayed on screen are riddled with stereotypes. Soman says it was not an easy journey to become one with the character. "When you think about transgenders in India, you have an image in your head. I wanted to break that image. We wanted to stay away from stereotyping the character. [We did not want to represent] the way they have been seen on Indian screens in terms of the expressions, behaviour and language. We wanted to focus on the character as a human being; that they belong to the third gender is incidental. We wanted to focus on Boris's fight against injustice and discrimination." He was mindful about not going overboard with the character. "We discussed how they would speak and their mannerisms. We kept it minimal because the character itself is so dramatic."
After the release of Akshay Kumar's Laxmii, a debate ensued over why the director had not cast a real-life transgender for Kelkar's role. Ask Soman why his show's team did not consider going down that road, and he tries to defend their choice, saying, "An actor can play any role. I understand that this particular subject is sensitive, and has sparked a conversation. I remember when Saand Ki Aankh released, people questioned why older women were not cast for the roles. But one needs to understand that when it's a movie, [the director] needs to be able to choose his tools to say exactly what he wants."
His attempts to push the envelope are not just restricted to the screen. Last month, the actor created a stir online when he posted a picture of him running naked on the beach, to mark his 55th birthday. The Goa police registered a case of obscenity against him. "To me, opinions can't dictate what we should do. We should have a sense of that," he says, adding that he does not get affected by the social media vitriol. "Social media comments show how the society is changing. So, I want to see all of it. I don't block or delete comments unless they are horrible."
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