Sharmila Tagore On Playing A Gay Character In 'Gulmohar': I Felt A Little Bit Of Apprehension

Sharmila Tagore shared that she was a little apprehensive about playing a gay character in her OTT film 'Gulmohar' that was also her return of her to acting after 13 years. In the family drama, the veteran actor plays a character who opens up to her granddaughter that like her, she too had fallen in love with a woman when she was younger. 

Speaking to Roger Ebert.com about Gulmohar, Sharmila shared, "(I felt) a little bit of apprehension, but the way they have dealt with it in the script is very subtle, not in your face. And I've been surprised, really. The audience has really accepted it. They’re okay with it. It’s not being underlined, or underscored, or an in-your-face kind of statement. It's kind of an internal evolution of a person. So it's at that level."

She added, "It's been her decision all the way, whatever the need of that time was. And her growth has been sort of powered by that. If you see the film, you realize what sort of a person she is. She is connected to everybody and she still prioritizes her own self. There's nothing wrong in that. She's 76 now, in the film. So now she wants to be free, basically."

Directed by Rahul V Chittella, Gulmohar also stars Manoj Bajpayee, Simran and Suraj Sharma. Sharmila plays Kusum, the widowed matriarch of the Batra household, who is hiding more than one secret from her children and grandchildren in the film. 

The veteran actor was last seen in the film Break Ke Baad as Deepika Padukone's mother. Imran Khan also starred in the Danish Aslam rom-com. She made her film debut as a 13-year-old in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) in 1959.