Actor Akshay Kumar is all set to be possessed by a transgender ghost for horror comedy Kanchana
Mumbai: With horror-comedy Kanchana all set for an inning in Bollywood, actor Akshay Kumar readies himself to be possessed by a transgender ghost. Yes, according to recent reports Kumar will soon start shooting for Kanchana remake directed by Raghava Lawrence. While the original movie showed a man possessed by three ghosts, this time around there will be only one transgender ghost, Laxmi, at the helm of the madness.
The movie will also star actor Kiara Advani opposite the Khiladi star as his wife. A Midday report, quoted a source close to the development saying, "While the premise remains the same, Akshay's character has been chalked out as one who doesn't fear the supernatural. The makers also reworked the narrative to create a meaty role for Kiara Advani, who plays Akshay's wife. In the original film, the hero's mother and sister-in-law have pivotal parts. In the Hindi counterpart, the sequence where Akshay's character is possessed by a ghost - the turning point in the story - will take place at Kiara's house. Her character will play a crucial role in his exorcism. Finally, Akshay will be possessed by one ghost - that of the transgender, Lakshmi - and not three ghosts as seen in the Tamil movie."
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While it remains yet to be seen if the move is a nod to the Indian LGBTQ movement or just a cringe-worthy caricature of a transgender, the film will go on floors by the end of this month and the makers are planning to release the film early next year.
Earlier this year, actor Vijay Sethupathi's Tamil movie Super Deluxe also courted controversy for showing the transgender community in a bad light. Directed by Thiagarajan Kumararaj, the movie showed Sethupathi playing a transgender person named Shilpa. A popular Tamil entertainment website quoted them as saying, "We had good regard for Vijay Sethupathi, but he has spoilt it by acting in this film. He has spoken dialogue about a transgender person kidnapping children. Can anyone recall of such a crime committed by a transgender person? After hearing the script, Vijay Sethupathi should have rejected it."
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