Art & Entertainment

Sanjay Suri: I Don바카라™t Compartmentalise Films Into Hetro Or LGBT Community

In an exclusive conversation with Outlook, actor-producer Sanjay Suri talks about his LGBTQ-themed film 바카라˜We Are바카라™ which he is co-producing.

Sanjay Suri: I Don바카라™t Compartmentalise Films Into Hetro Or LGBT Community
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바카라˜We Are바카라™ comprises four LGBTQ-themed stories from different corners of the South Asian subcontinent. In an exclusive interview with Outlook바카라™s Lachmi Deb Roy, actor and co-producer of 바카라˜We Are바카라™, Sanjay Suri mentions how the film is about human rights and identity. Excerpts:

We all loved 바카라œI Am바카라 and now 바카라œWe Are바카라? How different is 바카라œWe Are바카라 going to be from 바카라œI Am바카라 in terms of the story and the treatment?

Like 바카라œI Am바카라, 바카라œWe Are바카라 is a film about human rights and identity. The characters are not the same, it바카라™s only a sequel in terms of the spirit but set in the same four corners of the country like 바카라œI Am바카라. It바카라™s different as these stories are stories of queer lives and romance, a film of hope and love. It바카라™s also a tribute to the Supreme Court바카라™s reading down of IPC 377.

Have you all decided on the cast?

No, we haven바카라™t as yet.

You have done quite a few films based on the LGBTQ community. Do you make a conscious effort to be a part of these films?

I don바카라™t compartmentalise films like hetro community films or LGBT community films. For me it바카라™s a story and if it's a story that I feel that needs to be told and can be a part of cinematic expression then the decision is easy. 바카라œMy Brother Nikhil바카라 or 바카라œI Am바카라 for me were films about love, basic human rights to be able to live with dignity, respect and acceptance. So, there is no conscious effort in choosing stories but these are stories that stay with you in your heart and in your subconscious mind.

What are the struggles one has to go through when doing films on such themes especially when it comes to distribution?

Distribution is another world altogether. While making a film at the end of the day is connected to the art one wishes to create something that is memorable, but in distribution that memory is about numbers. The film needs to make money to justify its presence. As the ecosystem of film distribution, marketing, the exhibition is not even designed for Indie films so the struggle for themes and stories exploring a world of LGBT lives is far tougher. However, I am grateful that we managed to release all our films with likeminded people in distribution and exhibition. People may or may not support subjects, but they do support your vision and value your consistency.

What are the other projects that you are working on?

Well, right now, besides being busy acting there is a lot of writing happening. Some films and series are in development.

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