Let’s have queer actors for queer roles, says Faraz

Sheer Qorma director Faraz Arif Ansari, who was recently in town for the first edition of his acting workshop, TRANSaction, feels that Bollywood is still hesitant about casting LGBTQIA+ actors in LGBTQIA+ roles. This, according to him, not only deprives actors of the community from making a mark on the big screen, but also takes away from the roles themselves. “Who would know the struggles and emotions of LGBTQIA+ characters better than the community members? They have lived it,” Faraz says.
"We should be addressed as just actors (and not as ‘queer’ or ‘trans’ actor), be seen as equals" – Raqeeb,independent filmmaker
A means to an end
Faraz believes that filmmaking workshops for the queer are a means to an end. “The purpose of these workshops is not just to train them in filmmaking and related art forms, but it’s also aimed at helping them realize their potential and know what they want to pursue,” he says.
To this, Dheeman Bhattacharya, an Odissi dancer and a theatre actor, adds, “Members of the community go through a lot. Workshops like these help them process that trauma, sharpen their skills and contribute towards community building.”
TRANSaction, the three-day workshop held between June 20 and 22, was followed by the screening of Faraz’s film Sheer Qorma on Sunday at a five-star property in the city. According to the organisers, every day, around 20-30 individuals participated in the multiple day-long workshops mentored by individuals from various fields of art.

The filmmaker adds, “Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui was a movie that revolved around transgender themes, yet a non-trans person was chosen to portray the role. What people need to understand is that lived experiences, both good and bad, will always trump over research, no matter how well it’s done.”
‘Being identified as
an actor without a prefix is important’
Raqeeb, an independent filmmaker and intimacy coordinator, who was also part of the workshop, feels people from the community shouldn’t be identified as queer actors. “We should be addressed as just actors, be seen as equals,” he says, adding, “I think non-queer people should play queer characters, but that shouldn’t be the norm.”


Pics: Anindya Saha