Konkona Sen Sharma says homosexual characters aren't seen in films unless it is an ‘issue’: ‘The default is straight…’

Konkona Sen Sharma spoke about the representation of queer, and even differently-abled characters on screen, which were often tagged with derogatory humour.

Actor Konkona Sen Sharma is gearing up for the release of Accused, in which she plays a London-based doctor who is in a relationship with a woman (played by Pratibha Ranta). Konkona's character is accused of being a sexual predator at her workplace. In an interaction with Just Too Filmy, Konkona shared how the film does not treat the homosexuality of her character as an ‘issue’, unlike other projects that have been made in the past.

Konkona Sen Sharma talked about the representation of homosexuality in Indian cinema. (Instagram/@konkona)

What Konkona said

During the chat, Konkona said, “We often will not have characters in films who are homosexual unless we are dealing with it as an issue. Or unless, like a few decades back, we are deriving some kind of derogatory humour from it. Even, for example, differently abled people, they are not usually portrayed unless that is the issue that is being discussed. Because our world is not peopled, our world is peopled by the default. And the default is often straight, male, Hindi-speaking. Not varied enough."

Meanwhile, Pratibha added that even while reading the script, the characters felt like any usual couple. “Yes, it is a homosexual couple. But it is not there on the face. It does not come across very preachy. The situations are very real; the lack of trust, the manner in which one will go to any extent to be there for the partner. Until you realise there's more to that…”

About Accused

The film's trailer showed how Geetika and Meera's relationship goes through a stressful period as tensions flare after the accusations surface. Geetika helplessly watches her career fall apart before her eyes, one she spent years building brick by brick. As public scrutiny intensifies, the film explores the pressures this places on her closest relationships and examines how perception can override certainty.

Written by Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani, Accused is directed by Anubhuti Kashyap. Backed by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawala and Somen Mishra, the film is a psychological thriller and is scheduled to release on Netflix on February 27.