Anil, Sonam Kapoor talk about Bollywood's first mainstream lesbian film

When we first meet Anil and Sonam Kapoor last Sunday at Mehboob Studios and asked them pointed direct questions about their comingoutofthecloset movie Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga they suggest we watch the movie first We want the audience to go through their own journey as they see it and not talk too much about the premise beforehand Sonam tells us while apologising sending us back without an interview In retrospect watching the film proves to be a good ideaA still from the film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa LagaSonam plays Sweety a girl from Moga a small town in Punjab Dad Anil Kapoor plays a garment manufacturer Other members of the house include a conservative grandmother hotheaded brother a friendly cook and a man Friday But Sweety has a secret she is lesbian and has fallen in love with a woman she meets at a wedding What we liked most about the movie was that along with Sweetys track which is about being accepted as an openly gay girl in a small town where the LGBTQi concept is still alien it has parallel stories that are about the same issue being accepted for who you areAnils character has an ageold desire to be a chef and Rajkumar Rao plays an outofluck writer who wants to step out of the shadow of his famous Bollywood producer father At the core of it its the film about acceptance and love But its also about different manifestations of love father and daughter and friendship Its about how love and acceptance have to go hand in hand You cant love someone for what you want them to be you have to love someone for who they are says Sonam as we sit with her and Anil on the afternoon of the Friday release Kapoor Sr says Its about not stereotyping or judging someone Bachha toh mera bachha hi hai na As a parent dont think what people will say at the end of it if she is happy I am happy Most parents just need a nudge At this point Sonam adds This movie is a nudge for all those parentsWe tell her it could be the best movie she has done till date and ask if she ever thought she was brave as a mainstream actor for deciding to play a homosexual lead But if an actor like me who you say has some kind of influence doesnt do it how will we ever make this issue mainstream I dont consider it brave For me it was about thinking like this Art be it a painting or book or a movie always reflects society but sometimes a piece of art comes along that could change the way people think Even if it makes a difference to one life if one child finds acceptance what an impact that would beThe movie devoid of any sermons or explicit scenes does what very few LGBTQi movies may manage it makes the issue at hand the only thing you focus on Indians are not culturally okay with physicality so we wanted to make this love story palatable If it was a love story between a boy and girl we wouldnt ask why there was no overt PDA Its easy to sensationalise a film like this But this issue at hand is so important that anything else would have taken away from it We had to make queer love which is an unfamiliar one for smaller towns familiar by setting it with characters and settings you recognise says SonamHow did Sonam work on her chemistry with actor Regina Cassandra who plays her love interest in the movie Anil asks This even I want to know Sonam smiles wryly To be honest it was like working with a male actor It was where the acting came in I am definitely not in love with any male actor I have worked with At times you have to work with people you cant connect with and romance them But I could relate and connect with Regina who is a really cool chickWe end by asking them what they hope the LGBTQi community can take away from this movie and Sonam says I think they will see this movie and know that there is a mainstream character that is not a caricature of themCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates