Rajshri Deshpande says mainstream cinema is still stuck with ‘fantasy characters’ and is yet to start looking at women as real people.
Sacred Games actress Rajshri Deshpande has said she has no regrets about doing bold scenes in the Netflix crime drama series and will continue to do such roles.
“Nudity is liberating. I do not regret doing such roles on screen,” she said, speaking at the 10th edition of ThePrint’s ‘Democracy Wall’ at PSIT Kanpur Friday.
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“As part of the narrative structure, it was important to go nude on screen, so I did it. The process is so comfortable for me,” said Deshpande.
Deshpande was in conversation with ThePrint reporter Sanya Dhingra. Democracy Wall is a monthly free speech campus initiative organised by ThePrint in collaboration with Facebook.
Also read: With Sacred Games, Bollywood finds a new home for its politics in Netflix
She said when Netflix started streaming Sacred Games, she had received messages of abuse on her social media accounts. “However, I chose to ignore them.”
Deshpande, who also acted in S Durga, another controversial movie, said, “I know what I did was right…and I think I will keep on doing bold work when it comes to a film with good content.”
The actress, however, said whichever role she plays, she takes full responsibility for the repercussions.
Is Netflix an alternative to mainstream cinema?
Deshpande claimed that mainstream cinema is still stuck with “fantasy characters”.
“The problem of mainstream cinema is that we are still stuck with 5 feet 9 inches, high cheekbones and a flat stomach,” she said.
“We still have not got out of the fantasy character and started looking women in cinema as real people,” she added.
Also read: Has Netflix created an entertainment divide in India?
According to Deshpande, online media platforms are “really liberating”. “Platforms such as Amazon and Netflix are really good. The only thing is that they should show proper content.”
‘Audience has not changed’
Deshpande, who is also a threatre actress, said the perspective of the audience has not changed at all. “There are only a few percent of people who want cinema with good narratives, but our films do not get a proper distribution system.”
“We made S Durga at Rs 15 lakh. We were working 14 to 16 hours to finish the cinema. We are making these films because we want to show the subject; we have faith in the subject,” she said.
Commenting on the fate of regional cinema, she said, there are so many regional films made every year, but then only a few take all the glory. “In the big award ceremonies, you can only see a few films. The only reason is nobody wants to watch it (regional cinema)”, she said.