Hansal Mehta on Not Casting Gay Actors in Modern Love Mumbai: 'If Somebody Is Right for the Cast...'

National Award-winning filmmaker Hansal Mehta opened up about not casting gay actors in his Amazon Prime anthology series Modern Love Mumbai. The series garnered love from many but also received a backlash from the LGBTQ+ community with the casting for the episode, Baai. For the unversed, Pratik Gandhi and Ranveer Brar played the role of a gay couple in the episode.

In a conversation with Mashable India, he broke his silence and stated that representation should come from stories. Hansal was asked about the backlash he received from the community and why he did not cast gay actors for the story. The filmmaker said that he understands what they (the community) are saying. “I believe that representation should come from the stories. You should appreciate that. If somebody is right for the cast, whether queer or straight, they should be cast correctly," he said.

The director added that he will keep the suggestions in mind and will try to cast actors from the community. “I will have queer representation if the actors are correct for the part. These are the aesthetic choices you make. But I don’t see a reason for a backlash. There’s an honest representation," he said.

Hansal also recalled working with Kangana Ranaut in his film Simran and said, “I have never fallen for a trap except, once or two, like I worked with Kangana and made Simran. But I have never fallen for the trap." He also mentioned that he has been honest while casting in his movies.

Modern Love: Mumbai consisted of six stories of love in the city. Hansal directed the episode Baai, which featured Pratik Gandhi and celebrity chef Ranveer Brar as a gay couple. The series is a Hindi adaptation of the US series Modern Love, based on the New York Times’ famous Modern Love Column.

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