We’ve come a long way in addressing the issues faced by the LGBTQIA community on screen, but when it comes to portraying them on-screen or acting as one of them, not many agree to it. Did
Tanush Shivanna feel uncomfortable portraying a gay character in the upcoming Kannada film,
Nanjundi Kalyana
? He says... “Not at all. I was completely at ease essaying the role of the protagonist, Nanjundi. Both
Kuri Prathap, who plays my gay partner in the film, and I have done a lot of research — be it reading stories or watching films — to be able to enact our characters convincingly.”
Drawing a comparison between the 1989 film Nanjundi Kalyana and the new one, the actor says, “The original film was a huge success, and the new script promises a gripping and entertaining storyline, complete with a lot of comical twists and turns. The plot revolves around the LGBTQIA community — a concept which is still relatively less explored in the South.” Other leading actors in the movie include Padmaja Rao (who plays Tanush’s mother),
Manjunath Hegde (his father), Sundar Veena (enacts the role of the president of a gay community) and Shravya Rao. The film is directed by
Rajendra Karanth, who is also part of the cast. “Most of the cast have background in theatre,”
Tanush
sums up.
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