In an exclusive interview with IndiaToday.in, Barkha spoke about her statement, the film and more.
'THE STATEMENT CAME FROM A PLACE OF INSECURITY'
Speaking specifically about the transgender statement, the actor said, "Firstly, I don't want to sound like I am defending myself but the word pretty can have many connotations. While it might sound like overconfidence, it also is about insecurity about pulling that part off. Also, I used the words pretty and petite because I was unsure how my director is visualising me in the part of Chanda, who comes from a very raw side of the community."
The actor is set to play a transgender in ZEE5's Safed, a sensitive film, that delves deep into the dark alleys of the community. It will also touch upon the love story between a trans person and a widow, who find solace in each other, away from the atrocities of the society.
Elaborating further on what had transpired, Barkha added, "We have used the word 'hijra' in our film, and shaped the characters in the image that one usually has about them. Radha (her character) doesn't have the money to get a sex change done, and I think that's the last thing on her mind. She is a prostitute who sells her body to eat basic food. She doesn't have the access to look or feel better. These are the references we were seeing while working on the film. There's also a dialogue in 'Safed' where a character says 'Mujhe hijron se darr lagta hai' (I am scared of them). These were my insecurities about how am I going to look like that and play it convincingly."