Sushmita Sen Bandaged Her Chest And Wore A Crotch Guard For Taali

Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen is all set to showcase her boldest avatar as transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant in the upcoming series ‘Taali’. It sheds light on transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant’s relentless pursuit of the recognition of the third gender in India. It is created by Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar, directed by National award-winning director Ravi Jadhav, and written by Kshitij Patwardhan.

In an interview with Midday, Sushmita spoke about how she got into the character. She said, "I had to play a man, Ganesh, and then Gauri. When shooting the portions as a man, I would bandage my chest, and wear a crotch guard to physically separate the legs. I had to put on weight [to attain] a more masculine structure. The mannerisms had to be different.”

The former Miss Universe further elaborated on how she modulated her voice. Sen shared, “We had to dub those portions separately. During dubbing, I had to increase the bass in my voice. The worse my throat got, the better it sounded.”

The actress also mentioned that more than 70 percent of the crew was made up of transgenders. “The right and wrong were dictated by them on the sets. My director was clear that we would get it wrong [in terms of on-screen representation]. So, whenever we went wrong, they would tell us, ‘Thaamb', and we would follow their guidance,” she added.

Last month, the makers treated fans with the teaser on social media. The teaser gave a sneak peek at the courageous quest of struggles, resilience, and triumph.

The video begins with Gauri a.k.a Sushmita Sen's voiceover where she introduces herself as Shreegauri Sawant, while she adjusts her saree in front of a mirror. She also describes her journey in the video by saying, "Gaali se taali tak.” ‘Taali’ will stream on Jio Cinema on August 15.