The trailer of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga sent everyone into a tizzy because there was a suggestion that Sonam Kapoor’s character was lesbian. It seems to be the next step for Hindi cinema as far as the depiction of homosexual characters is concerned and definitely a first for a lesbian character in mainstream Hindi cinema.
We caught up with Sonam Kapoor as she spoke about the depiction of homosexual characters in Bollywood, working with her father, dealing with trolls and why the #MeToo movement needs to be a more nuanced debate. The film is coming post Section 377 being abolished, and when quizzed if this was the right time for the film Sonam said, “I feel like this film could've come out at any time and it would have had the same impact.”
She added, “My director Shelly said something really interesting to me, she’s like if you repeat something enough it stops being a bad word. You say divorce once, that I’m getting a divorce and people used to get into a shock. But you say it long enough and you normalise it long enough, it just becomes a norm because you’d rather be in a happy space than be in a bad marriage. In that same way if you say something enough and if people accept it enough, I think it’s easier to see it through.”
A landmark for 2018 was also the the #MeToo movement, and the momentum that it gained. 2019 began with the allegations on director Rajkumar Hirani, but one has seen other accused members of the industry going back to work. When asked if the industry saw any concrete change Sonam said, “I think the change will only come about when all the accusations are taken seriously and the media doesn’t misrepresent and does their proper research and they don’t become click bait articles and there is support from the industry. I know a lot of us are always on the side of what is right so if the media is supportive and does it responsibly and just does not do it because it makes good copy and makes like media headlines and is well researched and done well.”
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga releases on 1 February.’
Camera: Sanjoy Deb
Assistant Camera: Gautam Sharma
Video Editor: Veeru Krishan Mohan
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)