Taali creators on casting Sushmita Sen as transgender activist: If we take a male...

Creators Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar are gearing up for the release of their upcoming series Taali. The show stars Sushmita Sen in the titular role of transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant. A while ago, the makers unveiled the trailer offering a glimpse of Sawant's fight to get recognition for the third gender. Now, speaking with Republic Digital, the creators revealed that Sushmita Sen was their first choice.

3 things you need to know

- Taali is directed by National award-winning director Ravi Jadhav.
- The series stars Krutika Deo as young Shreegauri Sawant.
- The series will release on JioCinema.

Why Taali creators chose Sushmita Sen and not a man for Shreegauri Sawant's role?

Speaking to Republic Digital, the creators said that from day one, they were clear that they didn't want a man to play Shreegauri Sawant. They said, "It's the story of somebody who's gone to the Supreme Court with NALSA and fought for the rights of transgenders. Also, she is the first transgender who's adopted a girl child. So we wanted someone similar to Shreegauri Sawant."

(Sushmita Sen and Shreegauri Sawant bonded well revealed creators | Image: Instagram)

"If we take names like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and all these. If we take a male actor, it will look very grungy. It will not come across. So, we wanted who is similar to Shreegauri Sawant. And when we (Kartk and Arjun) were sitting and discussing, our first choice was Sushmita, because she is like this," they added.

What was Shreegauri Sawant's reaction to Sushmita Sen portraying her?

When they (creators) initially spoke to Shreegauri Sawant that they were planning to cast Sushmita Sen, she was "intrigued". Sawant's first reaction was, "If Sushmita played my character, it would be super exciting." Creators added that both have quite similarities, personality-wise and headstrong vision. "Sushmita has been Miss Universe, she can sit in any room, and you're just listening to her. The actress is extremely opinionated and so is Shreegauri Sawant," the creators concluded.

Taali creators say India is the only community where transgenders clap

When asked who suggested the title Taali, the creators gave credit to Sushmita Sen. They shared, "This whole idea came out of the actress when all three of us were sitting in her vanity in mid-break of a shoot and discussing the title." Elaborating on the meaning behind the title, they added that India is the only country where transgenders clap.

"It is all about that one clap which you want to talk about and it will reach boundaries" They added, "nowhere in the world do they clap. And if you want to tell the story, it all started from the word."