Ex-Bigg Boss contestant Sushant Divgikr - the real Ko-He-Nur of India

We interviewed the fabulous Sushant Divgikr from Bandra also known as Rani KoHeNur exclusively to understand the LGBTQ community better Sushant was recently seen on Indias mostpopular singing show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in his Rani avatar where he wooed the audience with his feminine voice and charm We all know Sushant is a great singer but this time we also got a glimpse of Rani KoHeNur his drag queen avatar She not only sets the stage on fire with her performance but also won many heartsCan you describe what your sexual orientationgender identity is and when did you realisethe sameI identify as a gay man and I came out of the closet when I was 18 years oldHave you ever faced discrimination due to your sexuality or gender identityI have faced a lot of discrimination In these 13 years of experience in the entertainment industry I have faced such discrimination time and again but I do believe it is a learning process It makes you stronger It definitely has made me strong from insideCan you elaborate about your journey so far from coming out of the closet to dateI think itrsquos been an amazing journey I have learnt a lot and I think once I came out of the closet I was free and felt more comfortable with myself I could offer so much more of myself than I would if I was still inside the closet Itrsquos so boring and suffocating inside the closet he jokesDid coming out affect your relationships parents siblings friends in a negative positive wayWhen I came out of the closet my mother already knew and even told me so I thought there would be some drama around it but thankfully nothing happened Irsquom blessed to have the parents that I have My dad is a superhero and everybody knows about it He just asked me point blank ldquoAre you gayrdquo and I said yes He hugged me and we were done There was literally no drama in my coming out story They have been extremely supportive and so have my friends My friends were my friends regardless I was straight or gayWhat are the challenges that LGBTQ members face today in a country like IndiaI think the first issue is that of knowledge People are not aware of the LGBT community I think itrsquos all about All of us are humans all of us bleed red breathe the same air so you should accept everybody for who they are I think itrsquos just that they donrsquot understand us and they are scared of what they donrsquot know so Google it Itrsquos simpleIf you had to advise or educate the society about the LGBTQ community what would you sayI am nobody to educate you You are the one who should educate yourself Nobody taught me how to deal with homophobic people I am privileged that I come from Bandra I could judge you for living in Dombivali but I donrsquot because everybody deserves the space unconditional love and support So I support you just in the way I expect you to support me I donrsquot judge people because they are not from Bandra so they shouldnrsquot judge me because Irsquom not straightCan you elaborate how about the Drag queen conceptHow does it feel to be the first Drag Queen of IndiaI am the most fabulous drag queen of India and I am the sexiest itrsquos a known fact There are many more who arrived on the scene before me but I am the first to get into mainstream and a reality show When you challenge gender stereotypes that we create for ourselves and I get to break those stereotypes I feel really powerful I represent women when I perform as a woman I represent all sorts of women and thatrsquos something thatrsquos extremely gratifying as an artistHe explained that drag queen is a performer that performs as the opposite gender and thatrsquos an artYou transform into being a character Drag is a performing art and not just crossdressing Itrsquos all performing art wherein you have everything from the way you walk talk dress and performis all a part of the drag The term drag comes from the west But we always had performers who have performed as the opposite sex You have men dressing as women for Ram Leela India is so rich in culture and we should celebrate drag as it is a part of our culture for yearsHow was your journey as Rani KoHeNur in Sa Re Ga Ma PaI had a blast an absolute blast Because I donrsquot think that everybody was ready for what I had to give them Rani didnt come to play she came to slay I made a lot of friends I loved Sona Mohapatra she is a bomb Then there was Richa Sharma an amazing singer Also Wajid Sir and Shekar sir were amazing as mentors My journey as Rani on the show was historic because nobody else has been on the show as a drag or from LGBTQ community or in a dual voice Legendary Bappi Lahiri sang with me and praised me He also said that I was the real KoHeNur of the countryCan you tell us a little more about the Pride ParadeThe reason why the LGBTQ community celebrates Pride is to show people that we exist And we are proud of who we are because we fought for our rights and because we have been shunned by so many people Also not giving the opportunities that we should have been given People look down upon us because we are a sexual minority We come out in large numbers to advocate that everybody is human and therersquos only one race called humanity We are proud to be human and we want everybody to be a part of it Pride means to celebrate diversity love and unconditional acceptance of everybodyCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates