A few years back, in the 90s and even in the 2000s, the portrayal of the third gender or anyone from the LGBTQ+ community was either stereotyped or it was just for comic relief. Later, there came some pathbreaking films and shows like 'Badhaai Do', ‘Sheer Qorma’, 'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' and 'Made In Heaven' among others which to a certain extent succeeded in the proper representation of the community with utmost sensitivity. But there has been huge debate on Bollywood not casting trans actors in trans roles. In ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2’ aka ‘LSD 2’, we will see Bonita Rajpurohit as the first transgender woman to make her debut as a lead actor in the Dibakar Banerjee directorial. Bonita considers it as a ‘historical moment for her’ to be part of it.
She told Outlook India, ''I consider LSD, as one of the cult classic films which was underrated. A lot of my friends also agree with that. My sister was saying LSD was an amazing film. I didn’t watch it before but now I have watched it and can say that it was ahead of time. It’s an incredible opportunity for me to kind of have my debut with this film. It's a sort of a historical moment for me and also the industry because as a trans person, I hope it sheds a light on trans awareness and trans issues in a better light. I also hope it encourages trans girls to find their own space in the industry and also in the world.''
When Bonita was asked if there has been a proper representation of the community in Bollywood, she said, ''It's a stepping stone, I would say. You know, like, obviously, it's a new new thing for the society, especially Indian society. People are still coming to terms to understanding this whole idea of LGBTQ or trans identities. So, it would be too much to expect that all of the entire country has been fully aware and respectful towards the pronouns and the understanding of the community.''
She added, ''So far I haven't personally seen any sort of a positive trans character with whom I could find my solace or I could find my peace and be happy about it. I can't count many, but in English movies or foreign movies, I can count so many films which have completely changed the way I looked at myself.''
However, Bonita is confident that 'LSD 2' will also do the same and added, ''because I have been there you know, at a rural place where I had nobody around me and what impact I had when I saw someone like me on screen. That’s what I feel.''
'Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2' is all set to hit the screens on April 19. Apart from Bonita, the film also stars Paritosh Tiwari, and Abhinav Singh as leads.
