Celina Jaitly’s documentary will capture the stories of successful homosexuals. She tells Karan Bhardwaj that education is the only awareness tool
Bollywood actor Celina Jaitly has been with the lGBT community for last eight to 10 years. She has raised her voice every time the section needed her and strongly stood by the homosexuals despite criticism. Now, the actor plans to direct a documentary, untitled so far, to celebrate the life of gays and lesbians. “It is not a tragic film. I am reaching out to successful people like doctors, engineers and professors who are homosexuals and are open about it. I am not going to force anyone since it is a personal choice to disclose the sexual orientation. The documentary is in pre-production stage and I should start shooting by the end of this year,” said Celina. The actor has recently joined the likes of Ricky Martin, Yvonne Chaka Chakka and Danela Maercury to promote United Nation’s special campaign “Free and Equal” for the equal rights of lGBT community.
Jaitly, who is currently on sabbatical in Singapore, is expected to be back later this year. One of the reasons to shift base from India was “security concerns” since the actor has been under fire ever since she started supporting the lGBT community. “I was not safe here. I have police at my home. The worst people have done to me is my character-assassination,” she said.
The actor said that the homosexuality is the way of being, not a disease. “Babas and gurus claim to cure it through Ayurveda. I don’t understand why they are spreading this myth. I don’t think spreading all such myths will help. Only education can cure the poor mindsets of people. I think we need spread awareness aggressively on it,” she said. The actor believed that Indians haven’t come to terms with lGBT community yet and scrapping section 377 is a just a drop in the ocean. “People have learnt to mask their intolerance towards gays and lesbians. But when they find one such person in their own families, they turn back. There are still 76 countries in the world where homosexuality is a crime,” she said.
The actor said she would make comeback later this year and has a few films lined up. “I will come back in November. I will start shooting a comedy film plus this documentary, which I am going to produce too. I will also be part of No Entry’s sequel,” she said. Jaitly is currently in India to shoot Diwali-related activities for the brands she endorses. “I am also excited about my first international project where I play half German and half Indian. During my sabbatical, I spent time on brushing my German,” she told us.