TLI Staff
New Delhi: Zareen Khan who was last seen in 1921 and Aksar 2 will next be seen as a lesbian girl in film Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele.
The movie, a beautiful story of two individuals Veer and Mansi – a gay guy and a lesbian girl – on a road trip, is aimed at challenging the social prejudices and the stigma attached to homosexuality in India.
Movies on homosexuality are finally getting approval in Bollywood with mainstream actors not shying away from playing such characters anymore. Sonam Kapoor played a similar role in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga and earned accolades.
The film is helmed by Angrezi Mein Kehte Hai director Harish Vyas and has been shot completely in and around Delhi, Noida and Dharamshala.
Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele has Anshuman Jha playing the male lead Veer and also doubling up as a producer on the project.
Zareen shares, Zareen shares, “Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele is a humane story of two individuals Veer and Mansi – Veer who’s gay and Mansi, who’s a lesbian. This is the story of their friendship and is about a road trip and how the turn of events change their lives. It’s a story that’s close to my heart and needs to come out in society, especially in a country like India.
Despite having fought for our Independence and having the freedom, and section 377 being approved, there are still families in which you can’t walk up and confess your sexual orientation. So freedom is still not completely there in certain sections of society and in some families, although the Government has approved it.” But she adds that the film isn’t preachy at all.
The film deals with the topic of homosexuality but in a light-hearted way. It premiered at the South Asian international Film Festival in New York, Manhattan last year November where it won the Best Film Award.
The film was also showcased this year in January at the Rajasthan Film Festival, where it won Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress award. So yes, we’ve been receiving a lot of appreciation.
The film is now being readied for a digital release. “It was slated for a March release but the lockdown was announced and we were hoping the lockdown will get over by May but it did not. I don’t think it’s sensible to wait more for the theatres to open up and then release it. There’s uncertainty of when that’s going to happen. So the makers have decided to release it on OTT platforms as many other films,” Zareen says.