Daily Times

Acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui left audiences both amazed and divided with his first look as a transgender in the upcoming film titled Haddi. The picture of his character quickly went viral, receiving widespread praise from Bollywood fans who were astounded by his transformation.

However, creating the look for the film was a time-consuming process, taking the film’s team nearly six months to finalise, reports Times of India. Raadhika Nanda, one of the film’s producers alongside Sanjay Saha, shared the challenges they faced during the initial stages. She revealed that it initially took around 30 minutes to drape a saree on Nawazuddin and about three hours were required to complete his entire look. Nanda further explained that Nawazuddin had never worn a saree before, and he had to shoot for hours while maintaining the same saree-clad appearance. Prosthetics were also used to enhance the authenticity of the character, but the team aimed to keep the look as natural as possible. Nanda stated, “[Siddiqui] wore sari for the first time. He used to shoot for hours in the same saree look. We used prosthetics in the process too but the idea was to keep the look as natural as possible.”

She further added, “We used around 80 sarees during the entire shoot. [Siddiqui] was very overwhelmed looking at himself in the mirror for the first time since he had never seen himself like that, which helped him to feel his character closely…He understood how difficult it is to be a woman to get up every day, in that attire and do household chores. It took us nearly six months to achieve the looks after going through several make-up artists.” According to IMDb, Haddi revolves around the story of Hari, a small-town boy who aspires to become a woman. The film delves into the history and experiences of Indian transgenders. As per Indian news outlets, it is scheduled to be released by the end of June. However, according to IMDb, It is scheduled for release on July 15, 2023.