Only Sushmita Sen could do justice to the story of Shreegauri Sawant and fans cannot wait to see her in JioCinema’s upcoming series Taali. Show creators Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk Nishandar shared with Hindustan Times exclusively how Sushmita remained their first choice for the show since they started working on its script. The duo take the credit for ideating the story, script and casting.
The teaser was trending on the internet for quite some time and then came the trailer. Many believe no one else but only Sushmita can pull off a Shreegauri Sawant…
Kartk: In the last seven months, we have been tight-lipped about the show. We only released one poster of Sushmita and took a break consciously. The response to the teaser has been mind-blowing. The positive response was unexpected.
Getting Sushmita on board with the show took six months. You guys must have been tensed, no?
Kartk: Sushmita was always our first choice. When she read the script, she loved it. She wanted to absorb and savour it, being the perfectionist that she is. She kept reading it for 6 months. Every time we had a chat she would tell us ‘don’t worry I am absorbing it’. (laughs)
Arjun: From the day go, after we send her the script, she was like ‘Oh wonderful story’ then she had a lot of questions for us. You have ex-Miss Universe, Sushmita, playing a transgender role. She just wanted to go through the entire script. For months we kept thinking that will she do it or not? After that, she was onboard. Stressful, but we are creators; we end up spending 2 years in writing only.
Sushmita had a lot of questions for us. For months we kept thinking that will she do it or not? After that, she was onboard. It was stressful.
Did Shreegauri Sawant have Sushmita in her mind?
Arjun: When we were discussing the show, we had Sushmita in our mind. When we told Gauri about it, she was very excited. She was like ‘Are you serious? She is going to play me?’ When we were writing also, we thought what if Sushmita plays this role? We have seen male actors playing transgender. Shreegauri is a beautiful woman. We thought of getting another male actor to play Gauri but it wasn’t going well. One of the most beautiful, who is intelligent and also respected–Sushmita was it.
Kartk-In these six months, we didn’t approach any other actor. We were very sure that Sushmita has to be the one.
Sushmita Sen was our first choice. We didn’t approach any other actor.
Tell me about the process…
Arjun: Once we reached out to Sushmita, we didn’t talk with anyone else. Things just started moving with her. She absorbed it, replied to our messages, took an effort, she was very involved. For a female actor to play Gauri is a brave thing to do. We have made her look like a trans. It used to take two hours of makeup every day. There’s more makeup and no prosthetics.
One can go terribly wrong when showcasing the third gender. How did you strike the correct balance?
Kartk– We researched even for the smallest detail. How Sushmita would walk as a boy, Ganesh.
Arjun- Oh yes! How she walks as Gauri and Ganesh are different. She has put herself in a training programme with Atul Mongia during the workshop. She also met a lot of transgenders on the show. We have actually cast some trans people too. They were also guiding us through how they do things or what is the process of their conversion and their rituals.
Sushmita Sen has put herself in a training programme with Atul Mongia during the workshop. She also met a lot of transgenders on the show. We have actually cast some trans people too.
Kartk– This is why we have chosen Shreegauri because though the verdict came out in 2014, they still don’t get what they deserve, recognition. Hopefully, with this show, people will India will accept their struggle. We didn’t want it to look grungy because in the past the whole community has been portrayed as a little over the top, and high in temperament. In reality, they are not; they are simply human beings. We are telling a human story. We want audiences across the globe to watch it.
Arjun: From the start, we knew Taali would be a positive and motivational story. Gauri is a very smart woman, so logical. You can sit with her and talk about anything. She will speak quotes from Mahabharata and Ramayan, and connect them to the current situation. She gives you a different perspective. She is very optimistic.
While many believe no one else could play Shreegauri Sawant, a section on social media commented that it would have been nicer to see a trans actor in the lead role. Why Sushmita and not an actor from the community itself?
Kartk- Yes, I know about it. We have cast close to 2200 actors in junior and secondary roles. We had to have someone like Sushmita because we are not making a documentary. It’s a story and we had to get someone people know and would travel the boundary for. It had to be someone exclusive who the world knows. That’s the reason, Sushmita.
It’s not that we haven’t cast trans people in the rest of the roles, you can see it in the show. Her whole team was from the community, from junior actors to others. But someone to portray Gauri had to be Sushmita. We made a commercial show. We are more than happy to cast a trans actor as a male or female in future.
Arjun- The main thing is how can we, as creators sell the story and get the whole world to watch it. This is why we have Sushmita. But we were very clear that we want to have trans actors too. They all have done a fabulous job in the show. You will find these questions all the time.
Our main aim is to tell the story of Gauri and get the community to the mainstream. How you do it is to get a big actor. Nowhere except in India, trans people have to clap. They have always been sidelined and it’s sad. Our show aims to bring change.
