Rangeen creator Amardeep Galsin speaks on tackling the ‘ticklish’ subject of paid intimacy
Before we go any further, let it be said that The Tribune can take some credit for affirming the writer in Amardeep Galsin. For it was in its hallowed spaces that the first poem of sixth grader back then had found her first moment of glory. Today as her web series Rangeen figures among top five web shows on Amazon Prime Video, it’s not just the writer but also creator in her which is in full bloom.
The subject of Rangeen, the world of gigolos she admits is rather ticklish, especially when you are trying to explore women’s sexuality. Besides, Amardeep knows, “There are no easy answers to infidelity. When it comes to uncomfortable truths, it’s not easy to navigate the tricky space.” But both she and her cowriter and co-creator Amir Rizvi wanted to handle the subject sensitively, focus on vulnerabilities and human emotions.
Combination of boldness and sensitivity came from her ‘first boss,’ noted filmmaker Kabir Khan whom she assisted in Kabul Express and many documentaries. Interestingly, though the genesis of Rangeen lay in a newspaper report of a doctor doubling up as male escort, her documentary background made her deep-dive into the subject. Says she, “I didn’t want it to be a figment of imagination nor a sex comedy.” The more she read and researched the more she realised, “Paid intimacy is not just about sexual desires but somewhere also about emotional intimacy.”
Precisely why, both she and particularly Amir decided not to make Rajshri Deshpande’s character of Naina justify her action, “The idea was to accept Naina as she is. We are more accepting of male characters as flawed beings but not so much of women.”
Interestingly, though the series has a decent IMDb ratings, critics have not reacted kindly. Her answer to the critics is, “Right from the onset we knew the show would open to mixed responses. If we go a little overboard we would be criticised and if we played safe, then also there would be censure.”
Even casting was a challenge. Lead actor Vineet Kumar Singh ‘first choice for Adarsh’ came on board easily. But convincing others took a long time, since after reading the synopsis, many actors assumed that the series might be titillating or vulgar, something which was farthest away from their mind.
Responsible, social reflection, commentary, laced with humour is her kind of cinema and she would also like her work to further some conversation. Just as Naina’s unapologetic stance is. Amardeep’s zindagi is rangeen or not… she is constantly looking at life’s various shades, ones which excite her imagination and of viewers too.
As for the voice of the Punjaban in her, well this Ludhiana di kudi, daughter of an academician mother and physicist father is certainly drawn to stories from her homeland. She shares, “I even began writing a dark family satire but realised two more films on the same subject were being made.” So, right now, a buddy Hindi flick and a period crime series which she will be helming as a show-runner are on her platter. Writer of successful documentaries like Roar of The Lion tracing the comeback of IPL team Chennai Super Kings, if she finds documentary making explorative, ‘which challenges your notions’, fiction is ‘therapeutic.’
Lifestyle