Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga writer Gazal Dhaliwal has had a turbulent journey of her own and her struggles and achievements are worth a film. In today’s day and age where biopics are setting cash registers ringing, Gazal is also keen to tell her story and make a film on her life journey.
Ghazal says, “I want to direct a film maybe in two years, but I may write about my own journey. I want to write mainstream films such as Ek Ladki Ko Dekha which are meaningful as well as entertaining. I was approached by a director but it was two years ago and that time, I was not ready. But now, I feel I am.”
The writer’s latest project is a short film A Monsoon Date, starring Konkona Sen Sharma. The movie is directed by Tanuja Chandra and the short film depicts a woman’s story who is trying to find love.
She has written films like Wazir and Lipstick Under My Burkha. Speaking about the portrayal of the LGBTQ community in films, Gazal feels that they hardly get a fair representation. “In films such as Fire and My Brother Nikhil were well-depicted, but in the mainstream cinema, it is quite skewed. Full-fledged story about LGBT community has not yet been done and I understand it is a commercial decision,” says the writer adding that Bollywood has come out of its closet with films such as Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa laga. “The industry is now ready and I am happy to see this shift,” she adds.
Speaking about her own journey from a man to a woman, she reveals, “Your body is your prison and to live in that prison and to go on with your everyday life pulls you down. But after you go through all this in life, you look at others with empathy and compassion and it also helps me as a storyteller.”
