Bollywood actress Meera Chopra, who is gearing up for the release of her film Safed, has slammed her co-star Barkha Bisht for her 'derogatory' remarks on the queer community. For those unversed, Meera and Barkha's upcoming film, directed by Sandeep Singh, is a love story between a transgender and a widow.
However, ahead of its release, Safed has been mired in controversy because of Barkha's statement. Barkha plays a pivotal role of a transgender in the film. In one of her interviews, she asserted that she thought she was too pretty to portray a transgender character.
Barkha's statement went viral and caught the attention of the LGBTQ community. She was also slammed by a section of social media users.
Reacting to Barkha's statement, Meera took to her official X account and wrote, "I disagree with Barkha's statement suggesting that someone is 'too pretty' to play a transgender role. While I respect differing opinions, it's crucial to convey such sentiments responsibly, especially when addressing sensitive matters like gender identity. Also, if someone believes they are too attractive for a particular role, perhaps they shouldn't have accepted it. I firmly stand in support of the LGBTQ community, emphasizing the importance of fair representation and rejecting any form of discrimination based on physical attributes."
"As I am getting lot of msgs on #barkhabist interview. This is my stand on it," she wrote along with her official statement.
On the other hand, in an exclusive interview with India Today, Barkha said her statement was 'misinterpreted'. She said, "Firstly, I don't want to sound like I am defending myself but the word pretty can have many connotations. While it might sound like overconfidence, it also is about insecurity about pulling that part off. Also, I used the words pretty and petite because I was unsure how my director is visualising me in the part of Chanda, who comes from a very raw side of the community."
Meera, who is global star Priyanka Chopra's cousin, is known for her audacious persona. She never shies away from calling a spade, a spade and often shared her views and opinion on various issues.
Opening up about romancing a eunuch in the film, Meera told The Free Press Journal, "Honestly, that was exactly the reason for me to say yes to a film like Safed. I don't think this thought has even come across in anyone's mind so far. In our lives, transgenders hold no importance. It has been the bitter truth. They don't have social standing at all. We can't treat them abnormally just because they are born in a certain way. It was only in 2019, the transgenders act was introduced in India.
Meanwhile, Safed also stars Abhay Verma, Jameel Khan and Chhaya Kadam. It is a love story between a transgender and a widow. The first look of the film was unveiled by music maestro AR Rahman at Cannes 2022. It is headed straight for an OTT release on December 29, 2023.
Meera marked her Bollywood debut in 2016 with Vikram Bhatt's 1920: London, co-starring Sharman Joshi. She rose to fame with Section 375 alongside Richa Chadha and Akshaye Khanna.
