Girija Oak, of Taare Zameen Par fame, and now Ladies Special 2, is looking forward to her web debut. She will soon feature in a film produced by Optimystix Entertainment (the makers of Ladies Special) for the digital platform.
“I can’t give out more details except that it is a very interesting and well-told story. We shot with a skeleton crew and in a manner stripped of all the luxuries most actors are used to. I had a great time; you will understand what I mean when you watch the film,” says Girija, who has also done the flick, Shor In The City.
“The shooting of my above flick is over and we are now gearing up to go live.” Here Girija was not very sure if the film was originally designed as a stand-alone web product or was meant to have a theatrical stint. “All these things were not discussed with us. I liked the script and came on board, period. In a way, this film helped me bag Ladies Special 2, as producer Vipul liked my work and offered me the role of a straight-speaking Marathi woman in the above Sony show.”
Girija is all for the digital medium for, “It breaks the monopoly that big stars had over the Box Office. Today, whether you are the A list Bollywood director or a newcomer, both get a space in the WWW universe.”
Coming from a progressive family, Girija does not have a problem with nudity on screen per se. “It is a way of expression for certain people. Having said that, I agree some makers do take advantage of the absence of censorship to fill their products with gory stuff, profanities and skin show. Ideally, it should be there only if it takes the narrative forward and not just for titillation.”
“But yes, I still support freedom of choice, which unfortunately does not extend to other mediums like films and TV, which are subject to heavy censorship. Not wanting to add more to the age-old cultural debate of what should or should not show, all I want is that viewers alone should be left to choose whether they are comfortable with any type of content or not.”
When asked if she would be game for a role that calls for nudity, she says, “I can’t answer hypothetical questions. A lot would depend on the role, the makers and other factors. I will prefer to cross that bridge when I come to it.”