Vijay Raaz Being Cast As Trans-Woman In ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ Has Received Twitter Backlash. Some Valid Points Here!

I feel like while Bollywood has come a long way in the way representing trans characters (not that we are perfect), the casting still remains an object of debate. After debates around movies such as Laxmmi Bomb and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, people on the internet are now discussing Vijay Raaz portraying a trans character in Gangubai Kathiawadi, starring Alia Bhatt. 

While the trailer of Gangubai Kathiawadi was well received and many (including me) absolutely loved Alia’s performance in it, Vijay Raaz’s portrayal of Razia Bai has sparked quite a bit of debate on Twitter. Raaz plays the character of a trans woman named Razia Bai who is the rival of Gangubai in Kamathipura. Many were blown away by Raaz’s entry into the trailer and his intense performance.

Twitter raved about how brilliantly he embodied the role of Razia Bai. Check out some of the tweets here,

I will watch it for him #VijayRaaz. #Gangubai looks baby face despite good old bollywood masala style trailor. Are we surprised? https://t.co/FHUiHrQdF7

— Madhu Kandhari (@Madhu_dreamer) February 6, 2022

https://twitter.com/SupremacyAlia/status/1489591118706909184?s=20&t=cnnWTfvDj_mLV4f5-7r0sw

in gangubai, razia bai will steal the show!!
living legend@ActorVijayRaaz #VijayRaaz pic.twitter.com/t4qYqPyiJp

— दिव्य (@oyehoydivya) February 4, 2022

Trailer was going strong and then this guy appears and steal the show from everyone.#GangubaiKathiawadi #VijayRaaz pic.twitter.com/NR0mHJ5SoT

— J I G A R (@thatfilmymonk) February 4, 2022

And while everyone has praised Alia Bhatt for #GangubaiKathiawadi, another actor that needs appreciation is Vijay Raaz. His appearance was so chilling, it gave me goosebumps #VijayRaaz – He definitely understood the assignment #GangubaiKathiawadiTrailer pic.twitter.com/rVe1Up6lxz

— Ashveer Singh (@ashveersingh06) February 5, 2022

Also Read: ’36 Farmhouse’ Review: Terrible Pacing, Predictable Plot And Half-Baked Characters Ruined The Magic Created By Sanjay Mishra And Vijay Raaz

However, many were displeased with him getting the role. As you can imagine, many were rightfully upset by a cis man getting to play the role of a trans woman when the role of Razia Bai could have gone to a trans person instead. Tweets were posted, criticizing director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for casting a cis man in place of a trans person for a role that obviously belonged to someone from the community. Read some of them below,

Casting a cisman as a Trans woman and also brazenly making a racist joke, few Hindi filmmakers will never care about the mess they create, but they'll continue hurting communities of the country. 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' is a big shame!@aliaa08 @bhansali_produc

— Sawang Wangchha (@SawangWangchha) February 4, 2022

https://twitter.com/optimistclysure/status/1489512152855900160?s=20&t=siO0aW4RL0uLHMn3k_UTDQ

https://twitter.com/SwatyKumar/status/1489935264986251266?s=20&t=LLhspiKRNsyv5GG-uf8T8A

can bollywood stop casting cis/straight people as transsexual characters please? Its 2022 already and i am pretty sure that there is enough talent in this country where an actual transsexual can portray a transsexual character #GangubaiKathiawadiTrailer pic.twitter.com/uBW60YkWV7

— 〄 (@vodooko) February 4, 2022

Ummmmmm just realised that Vijay Raaz is playing a Trans Woman in ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ like what is going on Mr. Bhansali? We need answers.

— Pokhraj Roy (@PokhrajRoy) February 4, 2022

Why is there an obsession for actors to play trans roles? Just because u get access to mock transbodies?? #GangubaiKathiawadiTrailer #GangubaiKathiawadi @aliaa08 @SanjayLeelaB https://t.co/AU7RBmV5Jd

— Patruni Chidananda (@pcsastrys3) February 7, 2022

Now while I absolutely love Vijay Raaz as an actor and do not doubt his performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi, I cannot help but agree with the criticism here. While more seriously portrayed trans characters have come to light, all of them have been played by cis actors. After the backlash Laxmmi Bomb got, I assumed we would actually make a turn for the better in casting trans actors. However with Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, the same mistake was repeated and while I am aware (and am glad for) how well the latter was received, the point still stands that the role should have gone to a trans actor. I genuinely don’t believe that cis people can do full justice to the potrayal of trans characters and that the community should be given an actual platform to tell their story the way it is supposed to be told. 

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