Sushmita Sen spoke with Brut about the paparazzi culture, and shared how physically demanding it was to transform into the character of a man for "Taali".
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00:00And if someone took a picture that they get very offended, both my daughters.
00:03I've seen Rene behave so badly with someone, my God.
00:06Taping your chest is not the problem.
00:08The problem is that you should tape it hard enough to go as flat as possible on the chest.
00:15Hi, this is Sushmita Sen for Brute.
00:17Your children are growing up in the era of social media.
00:21Do you ever sit down with them and talk to them about how to manage social media?
00:26Alisa had a deadline for the longest time because she would be given the phone only
00:30for the hour, two hours that she was allowed.
00:33Rene, the only thing that I've explained to her is that the things we put out on social
00:38media, in no way can you ever say, I took it down and it's gone.
00:44It's there forever.
00:46So be sure that the words you've spoken, written, pictures you've put, an impression
00:53you've put out there is forever.
00:56It's there forever.
00:57Be aware of that and then do what you want.
00:59There is a newfound obsession in the paparazzi, particularly with celebrity kids.
01:04So I want to know what is your take on particularly celebrity kids being covered like that?
01:10And have you again spoken to your children about it?
01:12How do they manage that kind of attention if they get it?
01:14Yeah, I think that if your parents are in the public eye and they are celebrities or
01:19otherwise, it comes with the profession, unfortunately.
01:23It comes with the status quo.
01:24But it's like social media.
01:26It's a problem.
01:28But it's also a necessity.
01:31Now, paparazzi is going to be a part of your parents' lives.
01:36Now, the parents can try to protect the children all the time, hide them.
01:39But what kind of a childhood is that?
01:42Because you're constantly trying to protect your kids from a photograph.
01:47It's tough.
01:48Then you take away their freedom.
01:51So I think the best way to deal with this is to just do...
01:56For example, me, my children, I've told them, you don't want to be in a picture.
02:00Just say, I don't want.
02:02You don't want, nobody forces you.
02:04And if someone took a picture, they get very offended, both my daughters.
02:08I've seen Rene behave so badly with someone.
02:11My God, dinner we were eating and someone just came and took a picture without asking.
02:17And I'm a person who never says no for pictures.
02:19I never say no.
02:20But just when you're eating, just ask, you know.
02:23So I was like, not nice.
02:25I did like this to the person.
02:27Next thing I know, my daughter has disappeared, Rene.
02:30She's gotten up, delete that right now.
02:32I'm like, Rene, come back here.
02:34Rene, come back here.
02:35No, I'm handling this, mom.
02:37You delete that right now.
02:40And then I had to take her back home and say, mama, you can't do that.
02:43She's like, no, but if they can do that,
02:46there's no business taking a picture like that.
02:47And I said, it comes with the territory.
02:50If you want to go and eat outside, there is always a chance this will happen.
02:55Because it's not our job to teach people manners.
02:58You know, then let's eat at home and then go out for photos.
03:02You know, like, let's do that instead.
03:04So yeah, it's taken a lot of learning, unlearning.
03:08But my kids are very sorted like that.
03:10They don't get carried away with attention.
03:15The part where you played Ganesh, basically,
03:18it was physically very challenging in the sense that you had to tape your chest.
03:22It was painful.
03:23It was painful because taping your chest is not the problem.
03:27The problem is that you should tape it hard enough
03:30to go as flat as possible on the chest.
03:34And then you have to emote when you can't breathe because it is so tight.
03:39So we realized that we had to adapt a little bit.
03:42We had to loosen the kurta even further
03:44because we were just not being able to breathe in it.
03:48I had a crotch guard on the whole time.
03:50So that's one uncomfortable relationship between your legs.
03:53And you were just sitting there like, you see, like this.
03:57My instinct is to sit cross-legged.
03:59But a crotch guard doesn't allow you to close your legs.
04:03It's a very uncomfortable feeling.
04:04The amount of that wig, that detailing of the beard,
04:09the sideburns, creating that,
04:11creating a sense of a masculine authority in a feminine way.
04:16That was Ganesh.
04:18A normal criticism for content like this is,
04:21why are cisgender male and female actors playing the protagonist,
04:25playing a transgender character?
04:27How do you respond to that kind of criticism?
04:29Well, you know, they've always had a point.
04:31And they barely get any screen time.
04:34And when they get it, it is made a mockery out of.
04:39They're used in a very, very...
04:42They have been used in a very tasteless way.
04:46Almost dehumanizing them.
04:47I felt all along that if we could just get this person
04:53in that moment to be human,
04:56it does not matter which gender plays it.
04:59It could have been a transgender person playing it.
05:01Absolutely.
05:02But we know for a fact that the amount of investment it takes
05:06to tell a story like this, you need viewership.
05:10You need people to be able to see that story, right?
05:15We were unapologetic about that from day one.
05:18We were like, you know,
05:20if Thali creates an opportunity for transgenders
05:25to be transgender people,
05:26to be cast in roles in a creative way,
05:29because that's where we come in.
05:31We're making a movie or a web series.
05:34Then our job is done.
05:37But if an inspiring story like Gauri Sawant
05:40is not even watched by people,
05:44then what did you achieve by a trans actor playing it?