‘Almariyaan’ actor Pranav Sachdev is on cloud nine as his short film ‘Almariyaan’ (closets) is traveling to many international film festivals including Australia in 2022. “This is how we go cross-culture and cross-border through art,” he told Opoyi.

Also Read: Queer Palm prize still getting a cold shoulder at Cannes

“It has got a lot of international acclaims that we did not even expect and I think its a great opportunity for us as Indian content creators to tell our tales to the world because everything is so accessible to everyone, everywhere,” he added.

The short film revolves around middle-class parents who not just accept that their son is gay but in fact, make him comfortable about confessing it by dropping hints that they are aware. Senior actors Rajesh Sharma and Supriya Shukla play the role of his parents.

Talking about aspects that he kept in mind while dealing with such a sensitive topic, he said, “This was a subject that had to be dealt with a lot of sensitivity, we were very careful to not make a mockery out of it.”

Also Read: This Australian girl flew to UK for a first date with her Twitter girlfriend

He also credited the young director Jiya Bhardwaj for understanding the topic very well.

“Jiya being a very sensitive director, had great clarity as to what she wanted to communicate with the film. When there is a certain direction and the captain of the ship is strong, usually the ship sails very smoothly,” said Pranav whose past projects were ‘Hadh’, ‘Dilliwood’, ‘Maaya2’, and ‘Unafraid’.

The actor, who was also previously touring with the Primetime theatre company’s play ‘Devika Rani’ directed by ace actor Lillette Dubey, says that “there is still less inclusivity and insensitivity” towards the LGBTQ community.

“There is disharmony in what we say, what we feel, and what we do. To date, I also had so many misconceptions about homosexuality so there is unawareness and the devil is definitely inside us.”

“I was borderline homophobic before ‘Almariyaan’ happened to me. Being a straight man, I had a deficit of grace to acknowledge that parallel narratives exist and must be engaged with.

“More than physical, my preparation for the role was internal. Not just as an actor but as a human being I had to do a lot of self-counseling and educate myself on the subject matter of homosexuality.

“I was less empathetic and had a very sanitized vision towards the issue before, I don’t know how I have performed as an actor but I definitely feel transformed as an individual after doing this film.

The film is backed by FNP media.