Swara Bhasker backs ‘Rasbhari’ against naysayers
Not one to shy away from controversial subjects, Swara Bhasker has once again come under scrutiny for her role in the web-series ‘Rasbhari’ where she plays a teacher in Meerut who is the eye candy of all the men in town. The show focuses on the subject of sexuality and gender roles, which has caused an uproar with many viewers. However, she is standing by her character.
“When I was offered Rasbhari, I had a little idea that it could be a little risky, but when I read the entire script, I realised there is definitely more to it than just an adult sex comedy. It is an interesting story in a light mannered comedy style, but it is like making some kind of larger point,” Deccan Chronicle reports the actress stating.
She went on to say, “I really liked the flavour of that small town; the detailing mentioned about small towns made me fall in love with the storyline. I felt this writer must be from a small town himself. It also gives me a feeling of owning the story and the characters there. Performing a double role at a time was a sort of a challenge for me, but it puts forth an interesting challenge for me. I really like all that.”
Talking about how it’s important for projects like these to raise awareness around such issues, Bhasker expressed, “The whole show is basically a criticism of the hypocrisy that is prevalent in our society around sexuality. Men showing off their sexuality makes no difference to people, be it an special number, shirtless men, so-called ‘red-blooded’ men, or even men who may be into multiple affairs. We make cute films on such subjects and see such men roaming in and around our society. But no sooner does it come to making a woman-oriented story based on a similar line, then the entire pressure of society will fall on it.”
“I am not saying extra-marital affairs are a good thing, but its standards are very different. Our show is an examination in a breezy way; it never lets go of the fun and entertainment element,” she went onto add.
When asked about the negative comments that she has received, the actress expressed how she portrays those who oppose her in taking on such projects. “These trolls will follow me until my graveyard; they are, in a way, my aashiqs (lovers). But my trolls detesting me is their love in a way, they gave me so many gaalis (cuss words) about ‘Rasbhari’, that this show has now become popular all over the country. It’s like they cannot live without hearing this name ‘Rasbhari’ and have painted the entire social media! So, in a way they made this name popular,” she stated.
If this is anything to go by, Bhasker seems to be using the strength of her trolls as a way of pushing herself even further to represent the issues she stands for.
