Sharmila Tagore said she was little nervous playing a gay character in Gulmohar

Sharmila Tagore shared that she was a little apprehensive playing a gay character in Gulmohar, but was surprised and glad by the audiences' acceptance of it.

In Disney+ Hotstar's Gulmohar, Sharmila Tagore returns to acting after 13 years. In the family drama, the veteran actor plays a character who opens up to her granddaughter that like her, she too had fallen in love with a woman when she was younger. Sharmila admitted that she was slightly nervous playing a gay character in the film and she was pleasantly surprised by the audience's reaction to the big reveal.

Sharmila Tagore in a still from the film Gulmohar. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

Directed by Rahul V Chittella, Gulmohar also stars Manoj Bajpayee, Simran and Suraj Sharma. Sharmila plays Kusum, the widowed matriarch of the Batra household, who is hiding more than one secret from her children and grandchildren in the film. The Batras all gather in the old family bungalow for one last Holi before the house is sold off. The actor said that Kusum is there for everyone, but she wants to live for herself as each family member goes on to do their own thing. She also spoke about the subtle storyline of Kusum's affair with a woman in her youth.

Speaking to Roger Ebert.com about Gulmohar, Sharmila shared, "[I felt] a little bit of apprehension, but the way they have dealt with it in the script is very subtle, not in your face. And I've been surprised, really. The audience has really accepted it. They’re okay with it. It’s not being underlined, or underscored, or an in-your-face kind of statement. It's kind of an internal evolution of a person. So it's at that level."

She added, "It's been her decision all the way, whatever the need of that time was. And her growth has been sort of powered by that. If you see the film, you realize what sort of a person she is. She is connected to everybody and she still prioritizes her own self. There's nothing wrong in that. She's 76 now, in the film. So now she wants to be free, basically."

The veteran actor was last seen in the film Break Ke Baad as Deepika Padukone's mother. Imran Khan also starred in the Danish Aslam rom-com. She made her film debut as a 13-year-old in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) in 1959.