Sushant Divgikar: ‘We only see token gay contestants and characters on mainstream TV’
Actor-performer Sushant Divgikar, who has been in the
entertainment industry for 15 years, found mainstream TV success back
in 2018, when he performed as his drag alter-ego Rani KoHEnur on the
singing reality show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. However, the former Mr Gay India
(2014) feels not much has changed on television since then as far as
representation of the LGBTQI+ community is concerned. “Be
it a reality show or otherwise, I feel there are only token gay
contestants or characters today, if at all - which is not okay. There's a
need for more representation in daily soaps, movies and OTT content,
because that can help change people’s mindsets,” he tells us.
This Pride month, he speaks to us about the
entertainment industry's shortcomings and double standards related to
the representation of LGBTQI+ community.
‘BOTH PEOPLE ON SCREEN - AND THOSE BEHIND IT - NEED TO BE SENSITISED’
Several artistes have spoken against straight actors playing LGBTQI+
roles in the industry, but Sushant doesn’t mind it as long as the actor
does justice to the part. He says, “An artist’s job
is to act, so I don’t hold it against them. Of course, I feel that in
an ideal world a trans woman’s character would be played by a trans
woman, for example, or at least someone from the queer community so
that it looks realistic. But if a hetero***ual woman is getting the
role and doing it well, then that’s great too. On the other hand, if
she doesn’t do justice to the role, then it looks like a joke. That
should not happen, viewer dekh ke cringe na kare!”
Sushant adds that “it’s not just people on the screen,
but those behind it - like the ones writing the scripts - that need to
be sensitised towards the community as well.”
‘IT’S IRONIC THAT MANY BELIEVE QUEER PEOPLE CAN’T SING FOR STRAIGHT PEOPLE’
On the other hand, he feels that it’s unfair that he has been denied
the opportunity to sing for straight people. “People have said, ‘you
can’t do this because you are too gay’ or ‘you can’t sing for a woman
because you are a man’. If I can sing in a woman’s voice better than
some other woman, then why not? I can sing in two voices and have a
four octave range. A singer is a singer. If you can give hetero***ual
people queer roles, why can’t you have queer people sing for straight
people? That is the biggest irony,” says Sushant, who identifies as
genderfluid.
“There are certain music labels that
are being proactive. But I don’t think enough companies are doing it.
Today, I am the face of so many brands not because they are doing me a
favour but because I am talented,” says Sushant, who released his single
Diamond in 2020, featuring him in his drag avatar, adding, “When a
person walks in for an audition, then they should be judged on the basis
of their talent, not where they come from or their ***ual orientation.
We have so much talent in our country then why not celebrate it?”
0 comments: