Sushmita
Sen
starrer
new
web
series
Taali
on
transgender
activist
Shreegauri
Sawant
is
streaming
on
JioCinema
from
August
15.
The
series
depicts
the
difficulties
faced
by
the
transgender
community
in
India
and
the
court
battle
that
led
to
the
inclusion
of
the
third
gender
on
official
documents.
Ahead
of
Taali's
Independence
Day
release,
Filmibeat
spoke
to
the
creator
duo
Arjun
Singgh
Baran
and
Kartk
D
Nishandar,
where
they
shared
how
Sushmita
Sen
was
roped
in
for
Taali
and
what
the
audience
can
expect
from
the
show.
Arjun
and
Kartk
said,
"When
our
writer
Kshitij
Patwardhan
came
up
with
the
script,
we
were
thinking
of
it
as
a
Marathi
film.
But
then
we
felt
that
this
story
should
reach
as
many
people
as
possible,
and
we
could
not
do
justice
to
the
story
of
a
personality
like
Shreegauri
Sawant
in
just
two
hours.
Her
journey
is
of
20
years,
we
cannot
cover
it
in
two
hours.
Then
we
planned
to
make
it
in
Hindi
and
keep
the
format
of
web
series."
Shreegauri
And
Sushmita
Both
Are
Very
Strong
Women
They
added,
"This
is
a
very
motivational
story.
And
from
the
very
beginning,
we
have
tried
to
present
it
as
a
positive
story.
Because
normally
in
Hindi
films
or
shows
when
we
talk
about
transgenders,
they
are
shown
in
a
very
negative
way.
Also,
mostly
the
character
is
played
by
a
male
actor.
No
female
has
ever
played
this
role.
But
we
thought
that
if
you
want
to
tell
the
story
of
a
mother,
you
should
cast
a
strong
actress.
Sushmita
Sen
is
also
a
mother
herself,
she
has
adopted
two
girls,
so
she
relates
a
lot.
They
both
are
very
strong
women.
Both
are
opinionated
and
speak
so
well.
The
way
transgenders
have
been
shown
in
Hindi
films
so
far
is
very
caricaturish.
We
did
not
want
to
go
there.
This
is
a
very
sensitive
show.
We
have
covered
a
lot
of
details
in
this.
How
transgenders
live,
how
is
their
lifestyle,
their
body
language,
which
god
they
worship,
what
does
their
locality
look
like,
their
rituals,
about
their
celebrations,
etc.
We
took
all
these
inputs
from
Shreegauri
and
her
team
as
well."
Sushmita
Sen
Took
6
Months
To
Study
The
Character
Talking
about
Sushmita
Sen,
the
creators
said,
"She
was
always
the
first
choice.
Shreegauri
is
extremely
beautiful
and
logical.
Sushmita
Sen
has
all
these
qualities.
When
we
approached
her,
she
read
the
story
in
the
first
two
days
and
she
loved
it.
Then
she
took
around
six
months
to
study
the
character
deeply.
She
had
multiple
questions
such
as
how
we
see
the
show
as
creators
and
our
thoughts
on
it.
She
didn't
accept
the
role
till
she
was
hundred
percent
convinced.
When
she
came
on
set,
she
knew
the
script
by
heart.
She
does
her
homework
very
well.
Acting
coach
Atul
Mongia
helped
her
to
finetune
the
transformation
and
director
Ravi
Jadav
guided
her
to
get
the
nuances
of
the
Marathi
diction
right.
She
also
worked
very
hard
on
her
voice
modulation.
She
put
her
heart
and
soul
into
Taali
and
today
we
cannot
imagine
anyone
else
playing
Gauri
other
than
her."
Have
cast
around
2,200
transgenders
in
Taali
Arjun
and
Kartk
said,
"Shreegauri
Sawant
was
always
very
excited
that
her
story
is
about
to
come
to
the
world
through
a
series.
We
kept
her
involved
during
the
entire
writing
process.
We
had
an
idea
that
this
is
a
sensitive
subject
and
there
should
be
no
mistake.
We
have
cast
around
2,200
transgenders
in
Taali.
We
have
not
roped
in
regular
actors
because
we
want
them
to
be
treated
positively,
as
equals
and
get
employment.
We
want
people
to
see
this
series
as
a
journey
of
a
mother,
of
an
unsung
hero,
and
not
just
a
transgender."