Haddi Actors Anurag Kashyap, Zeeshan Ayyub Connect with Trans Women To Understand Their World

"Pata hai log humse kyun darte hain? Humara ashirwad bohot shaktishali hota hai aur humara shrap bohot bhayavah"

An ambitious film called Haddi, featuring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Zeeshan Ayyub, Anurag Kashyap, and other well-known actors, was recently released on Zee5. The film Haddi is directed by Akshat Ajay Sharma, and co-written by him and Adamya Bhalla. The main character of the tale is Haddi, a transgender individual who moves to Delhi and joins a group of cross-dressers and trans individuals led by a strong man.

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Akshat, Zeeshan, and Anurag visited Humsafar, a well-known NGO in Delhi, to connect with trans women as part of their film's promotion before its OTT release. In addition, they discussed their movie and how they aim to convey the significance of the third gender. To give you a quick summary, they discussed shooting for Haddi, the industry as a whole, and transgender representation in cinema.

What Is Humsafar Trust?

In order to reach out to LGBTQ community in Mumbai Metro and the neighboring areas, The Humsafar Trust (HST) was established in April 1994. It was the first openly gay community-based organization in Mumbai to receive space in a municipal building after extensive networking and advocacy with the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The HST has fostered the support organizations YAARIYAN for young LGBTQ, UMANG for LBT people, and SANJEEVANI for HIV-positive people. In addition, HST offers its communities counseling on nutrition, mental health, and crisis management.

We at Indiatimes joined the celebrities at the NGO and witnessed their conversations!

Let's take a look at what all happened!

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Anurag Kashyap Says ¡®Haddi¡¯ Isn't A Preachy Film

Speaking about the movie's goal, it wanted to tell a story without being preachy. Anurag claimed that Akshat attempted to demonstrate the existence of transgenders as well as their supporters and foes. For the unversed, Anurag plays an antagonist in the film while Zeeshan is the guy who defends what is right.

Instead of making it didactic, he claimed, they developed a masala movie for the masses since that is what normalization means to them.

¡®Gaane Hai, Love Story Hai, Sab Hai¡¯

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From The Director¡¯s Mouth!

Akshat outlined how the movie was initially conceived as a short film before the decision was made to expand it into a full-length picture. They conducted extensive research on the dark side, community insights, and other topics, which led to the creation of Haddi.

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Figuring Out The Right Way To Represent Transgenders

According to Anurag, cinema is a great medium for representation. Additionally, he did not know about a lot of things before he did Haddi. For him, seeing transgender people on traffic signals was the extent of his awareness of them. He came to understand that there is a segment of the trans community who are content to make money according to their predetermined methods and who disagree with others who are requesting rights. Then a third party appears, whose members are not part of the community but are only guys dressed as ladies who prey on unsuspecting bystanders.

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Anurag Kashyap Reveals He Wanted To Cast A Transwoman For Kuku's Role In Sacred Games But No One Agreed To Do It

Speaking of his prior experiences, Anurag mentioned how, when working on Sacred Games for Kubbra Sait's role as a trans woman, he reached out to a number of trans people. They refused, though, and the team eventually decided to cast Kubbra. But many transgender people reached out to them following the success, willing to act. He believes people should go to workshops and receive training, nevertheless. When we questioned him about why a transgender person wasn't chosen for the starring role, he responded that those individuals require months of training before they can begin acting and performing for a film. He also praised Dr. Trinetra for making a bold move, honing her skills, and then participating in Season 2 of Made in Heaven.

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Normalising Zeeshan's Romance With Nawazuddin Siddiqui Who Plays A Transwoman

According to Zeeshan, his character is designed in such a way that people see him as just another man they see on a daily basis. And in the similar vein, he is shown to be in love with Haddi Aka Harika, regardless of her gender. Apart from that, he said, "Nawaz ko romance karne ka kitne logo ko mauka milta hai?"

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What Is The Transgender Community's Idea Of Right Representation?

During the conversation with members of the Humsafar trust, Anurag Kashayp questioned the community on their definition of 'normal' in an effort to better understand them and their point of view.

Manpreet responded by saying she would prefer it if they are referred to as a human just like male and female instead of being referred to as "trans."

She also claimed that they are viewed as the wrong people in society while sharing her tale. She said that even though her father is a well-educated man, he still opposed her decision to transition from a male to a female. She made every effort to convince him, but without success. She added that he had been aggressive toward her as well, and that because of this and other life events, she is also dealing with a number of mental health problems.

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Does OTT Make Storytelling Easier?

When asked if OTT turns out to be a boon for makers who want to tell brave stories, Zeeshan said that makers have got freedom because of the medium and you don't have to worry about box office.

What Is Anurag Kashyap's Point Of View On Profit-Driven Movies?

Anurag also discussed how, among outsider filmmakers, he is the most empowered. Anurag responded that all big-budget movies are profit-driven when asked why their scripts don't wow audiences. Similar to how a label may purchase a song from a movie because of the actors. "My films Dev D and Gulaal come up when you discuss the best music albums" ,said Anurag. However, the cost of music is 1/20th of what a song with a big star costs.

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Creative Liberties For New-Age Filmmakers And Government Interference

When asked if the industry has improved for filmmakers who want to create compelling tales, Anurag responded that there are more filmmakers who don't hesitate, but that there is a system and a government that prevents people from telling such stories. He claimed that despite having a lot of ambition, filmmakers are paralyzed by fear. He continued by saying that because filmmaking is an art form that is supported by the money of others, nothing can be accomplished until producers support you and have the guts to help you craft a compelling story.

After the conversation, The Haddi stars left with a greater understanding of the community as the meeting came to a close with many smiles and warm goodbyes.

(To read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading Indiatimes BINGE)