Chandigarh, June 4
Isha Koppikar and Amrita Arora know the significance of their latest flick “Girlfriend”. Even before its release, the film is making waves for the sheer ingenuity of its theme. Bold and beautiful, it is all about baring the hidden layers of passion shared by two women. While Isha plays the lead role of Tanya, an active partner in a lesbian relationship, Amrita arora plays the one torn between true love and wild passion.
In the city today for the promotion of their film, Isha and Amrita spoke with élan about the new theme, its implications and its inherent risks. “It is not those run-of-the-mill kind of stories. The theme is unconventional and the role is performance-oriented. It is a poignant tale of a girl who is forced into hating men by her awkward circumstances. Thoroughly abused as a child, this girl grows up with ambivalent feelings. Driven by insecurities, she falls in love with her best friend and becomes
possessive about her. Finally, the story is about how things fall in place for Tanya and her girlfriend, Sapna, played by Amrita,” says Isha, who is excited about an image make-over.
Amrita is equally enthused about the project. “I have always believed that being normal is boring. People are no longer interested in old, moth-eaten scripts. They want something real, something entertaining and worthwhile. This film has all the ingredients of a pure commercial film. It also serves to create awareness about relationships within the same sex. The story has been told beautifully. It does not leave any crude marks on the memory of the viewer. Rather it helps him follow circumstances that may
lead to lesbian tendencies.”
Both for Isha and Amrita, the film may prove to be a stepping stone to success, if it clicks with the audience. Branded as item girls, they have a fair chance to move beyond and secure a berth among the leading ladies of Bollywood. Director Karan Razdan, for his part, is sure the film will work wonders.
He says, “I do not quite understand the hype this film is generating. This is not a new concept. Such issues have often been raised in plays, although subtly. Moreover this is the age of realistic cinema. People are distancing themselves from predictable themes. They want something surprising. I believe there can be no entertainment without surprise.”
Karan began working on the theme of the film about two years ago. Convinced about the social acceptability of the issue, he says, “The idea is also to create an awareness regarding a subject. We have started a debate on the issue. At least it will not remain under the wraps anymore.” It has not been easy for Karan to handle the script of the film. He admits, “It was difficult to construct a sequence in which the two girls make love for the first time.
The residue of remorse, a feeling of awkwardness and a sense of sexuality were the most challenging areas to handle.”
After “Girlfriend”, which is being produced by Harry Baweja, Karan Razdan will release two more films, “Eight” and “Satrah”. While the former is a supernatural thriller, the latter is about the youth and their impressions.
