Rainbow Rishta director Jaydeep Sarkar: ‘I want queer actors to play straight roles’
Director-writer Jaydeep Sarkar talks about his own experience of coming out, the support he had, and more in an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times.
Filmmaker and writer Jaydeep Sarkar has directed the documentary series Rainbow Rishta that released on Prime Video recently. In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, he talks about working on the show, his views on lack of representation of the LGBTQI+ community in various spheres of life, and much more. (Also read| Rainbow Rishta trailer: Trinetra Haldar, Aishwarya Ayushmaan's new docu-series celebrates 6 queer love stories)
Took me 30 years to come out
Explaining why he decided to take up Rainbow Rishta, Jaydeep said, “Because I had not seen anything like this. Had I seen anything like this in my earlier years, it would not have taken me 30 years to come out of the closet. I made the show for my own 13-14 year self.”
‘Why should out trauma define us?’
Asked to talk about the dark phases of his life, and the support system that helped him overcome those, Joydeep insisted the narrative must change. “Let us try and look at us beyond our trauma. We just get pity (through these stories), we are not that. When I meet a straight person (I am not just the trauma that I have faced). I think shifting the conversation (is important). I see this conversation a lot building around, why should our trauma define us? The trauma certainly is there, we are not brushing it under the carpet. But we would like the world to see us beyond it too.”
Asked to talk about his support system, he said, “My 20s were very dark, it was lonely. I was in Bombay and finding love was very difficult at that time. There were no dating apps… to find kindered souls that understand you was very difficult. I really faced a tough time. And then, magically I found my partner at the age of 33. I found great support from him and his wonderful and progressive family in Jamshedpur. I really got lucky.”
We also asked Jaydeep to share his views on the representation of transgender and queer people onscreen. Reminded of Sushmita Sen's Taali, Jaydeep said, “I have not seen it and I do not have any umbrella view on this. But, I am happy that Gauri Sawant's story is out there and I am sure it is a lovely film. But, there is so much discrimination otherwise that we have to go beyond and create representation in all spaces. We need queer writers.”
‘Waiting to see Trinetra and Daniella Mendonca in human roles’
He concluded, “Can a straight person not make a queer story? I do not think so, Badhaai Do was mainly a straight crew and cast and I really loved the movie, it touched me. You do not have to be an alien to create an ET. But if there is a lack of representation, the world will be a poorer place. I want queer actors to play straight roles. I am waiting to see Trinetra Haldar and Daniella Mendonca in simple human roles and not just remain bracketed.”
More about Rainbow Rishta
Rainbow Rishta traces the lives of Trinetra Haldar, Aishwarya Ayushmaan, Daniella Mendonca, Aneez Saikia, Sanam Choudhary, Soham Sengupta, Suresh Ramdas, and Sadam Hanjabam.
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