Ayushmann Khurrana’s latest release, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui that co-stars Vaani Kapoor, dealt with the theme of gender identity. The story revolved around a weight-lifting champion, who falls in love with a Zumba trainer, who happens to be a trans woman. Receiving mostly positive reviews, the film did attract some criticism for lack of representation for the trans community in the cast.
Speaking about the possibility of a sequel, Ayushmann said “If there’s a sequel, we should go for representation, a trans girl should be in the lead. It’s just a conversation-starter and Vaani believes that as well.”
On the feedback that the movie has received from the trans community, Ayushmann said, “If you’re getting validation from the leaders of the community, it says a lot. At the same time, at the beginning, you’ve to make a trailer that gives a lot of intrigue. Of course, you will get a lot of comments from the community. But being an ally, we’re all learning a lot. This film is just an induction for people, just as the first step.”
In yet another interview, Ayushmann opened up about the criticism and backlash that the film received ahead of release. “That’ll always happen. It’s important to watch the film first. When the trailer came out, there was some backlash because woke intellectuals are skeptical of Bollywood. The trans community hasn’t been portrayed well since time immemorial. I am glad that after watching the film, the community is happy and they have accepted the film. That’s the biggest validation for us.”
