Q. About 25 years ago, you made your TV debut with A Mouthful of Sky, the first English show on DD National. To what extent has Indian entertainment come of age?
The opportunities are getting bigger, not only because of the size of the audience but with the freedom of expression you have on OTT platforms. You are seeing a change in formats and stories, and new actors. What we have been missing so far though are stories steeped in Indian culture, even though there have been Mahabharata and Ramayana. If those come, it will be a gamechanger.
Q. You sport a nose ring, bindi and long tresses for your role in AltBalaji’s Paurashpur. Tell us about playing Boris.
He is a eunuch. We wanted to approach him as a human being and not play up the make-up and mannerisms. Through him, we wanted to highlight the discrimination, this ‘us and them’ mentality, which leads to fear and suspicion. If we look at each other from a humane perspective, we can be rid of discrimination.
Q. Paurashpur’s racy scenes are already stoking controversy.
A show must generate conversation otherwise it is not successful. Even with Four More Shots Please! people were like, ‘this is not our culture’. But just because you don’t know [of it] doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. In India, we brush many things under the carpet. With OTT, subcultures are being recognised because no story is small on these platforms.
Q. You recently shared a photo of yourself running naked on a beach. What did you make of the reactions?
A few months ago, I had shared a photo of Tuff shoes ad [a 1995 print ad in which Soman and Madhu Sapre appeared naked] and asked how would people respond to it today. Many said nobody would even notice it. I don’t think a lot of people were offended, going by the response on social media. Most were like, “wow”. Someone wrote that while Poonam Pandey was arrested for her act, I wasn’t. There shouldn’t be any objection in either case.
Q. Your favourite read of 2020.
I would recommend my own book, Made in India.
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