We remember Bobby Darling portraying a not-so-funny (and borderline problematic) comedy roles she did in TV shows and films of the 2000s.  

While she often played the stereotypical gay man and trans roles, she was a quite popular actor in the genre and did a lot of shows and movies at the time. However, ironically, as the Pride Movement gained momentum in India, we saw less of the trans star. 

© Instagram/Bobby Darling

The reason was that she wasn’t okay with the kind of roles that were being offered to her. 

Talking to TOI, Bobby opened up about why she thinks she doesn’t get a lot of work now as compared to a few years ago.

She said, “I had a lot of work then. But every time around comic lines. I allowed them to make fun of me. Now, I am not ready to play those roles which were offered to me earlier. They still want me to play gay.”

© Instagram/Bobby Darling

She said that she isn’t gay or transgender but people don’t get this. She was a transwoman who had surgeries to become a woman. 

“And, it is simple. Why should I play gay when I am a woman now. I was a transwoman. I underwent surgeries and now my body is that of a woman. So, either I want to play a transwoman or a woman. I am not ready to play gay. How long will I continue to humiliate myself?” she added.

© Orion Pictures

She said she has been humiliated in the films so much that a movie can be made on her life in Bollywood. 

“I feel they can make a movie on me per se,” she said. When asked which actor should play her, she named Ayushmann Khurrana. 

© Instagram/Bobby Darling

Bollywood has a history of stereotyping queer characters and showing them all as ‘gay’ without putting in thought and research on the different genders and sexual orientations that exist. They shove it all under one umbrella. 

© Instagram/Bobby Darling

Good for Bobby to take a stand for herself by not doing crass comedy and roles that she doesn’t identify with, even if it means having minimal work. That takes major courage!

Source: TOI

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