‘No one was available’: Ali Rehman on why transgender actors weren’t hired for Guru

Actor Ali Rehman Khan is currently playing the role of a transgender woman in the Express Entertainment drama ‘Guru’. The drama is facing intense backlash from social media users, especially transgender activists like Shahzadi Rai, who condemned the limited spaces allowed to members of the transgender community within the entertainment industry to be able to tell their own stories.

Speaking to The Current, the activist expressed her dismay at how cis men were constantly taking up roles about people belonging to the third gender, and used the incorrect term used to describe the community like ‘intersex’.

“People who do not want to declare themselves as intersex, why are you pushing the label on them? And roles that are about the third gender, you should give them to people who identify under it. A man’s role would be played by a man, while a woman’s role would be played by a woman.”

READ MORE: Transgender activist Shehzadi Rai, Twitter users criticise ‘Guru’ for hiring cis man to play intersex character

Several social media users also pointed out that films like ‘Joyland’ which starred transgender actress Alina Khan were met with intense backlash and banned in the country, but it was dramas like ‘Guru’ which were not met with the same scrutiny since members of the transgender community aren’t involved in production.

2) This is hypocrisy. When Joyland featured an actual khwajasira person, the entire country is up in arms. But we seem to be totally okay with basing our movies and shows on their lives as long as we're not actually giving them opportunities in the process.

— Ayesha binte Rashid (@ayeshabinte) May 22, 2023

Speaking to BBC Urdu, the actor has come forward to address these allegations, saying that despite the studio’s best efforts, they couldn’t find transgender actors to take on the role, and encouraged more members of the community to come into the field.

“We were planning that one or two of the chelas in the show should be members of the transgender community. But we did a lot of auditions and couldn’t find any actors. And with a huge production there is a lot at stake, since you have to shoot for 40-50 days. You can’t just rely on one actor: you have to have a cohesive list.”

The actor went on to express his desire to see more transgender people coming into acting, who can play these kinds of roles even more efficiently than he has.

The actor also elaborated on how he had prepared for the leading role, revealing the process involved. He spoke with members of the transgender community, along with watching documentaries and movies related to the topic.

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