Daily Times

Dance numbers go down in history. All the way from Noor Jahan’s “Mundeya duppata chad mera” phasing into the present-day item number “Kalu” for upcoming musical drama ‘Rangreza,’ our next user-friendly hit tune might just be topping the charts for all the right reasons.

Not only is the item number featuring Gohar Rasheed going to be one of the very few to showcase a fiery lead star’s suave and classy dance moves, but it will also be breaking many stereotypes in the country.

The film is currently making headlines all over due to Gohar Rasheed’s dance performance in “Kalu” alongside 200 trans people. A snippet of the song in question can be seen and heard in the film’s trailer.

“The idea was by the director Amir Mohiuddin and writer Akhtar Qayyum. The whole thing is their idea, their baby,” he revealed.

Rasheed hopes that the item number will improve the “general mentality” that surrounds trans people in our country and reveals that just like many others, he went into the making of the act “with the same mentality that we have been fed with. You get a little awkward around them and feel scandalous with them. It’s all because of the stigmas that are attached to them”. Spending time with his co-stars during rehearsals and shooting, Rasheed claimed that he came out with a whole “new perspective.

“They are very caring, very generous, loving, compassionate and very passionate about work. They are very professional and super, duper talented. I can easily and comfortably say they are more talented than I am,” Rasheed admitted.

With trans people deeply involved in the graphic and social construct of the song “Kalu”, Rasheed asserted, “We don’t want to objectify anyone. It is in a way, a humble effort from the team of ‘Rangreza‘ to give trans people an opportunity and to show the world that they are so talented and apart from that, they are amazing human beings.”

Sharing two wonderful days rehearsing with his co-stars and three days shooting the item number along with spending the rest of the time with them for the film’s promotional runs, Rasheed concluded, “I respect them. I love them. I adore them. I can, and I will Insha Allah do whatever is in my capacity for them.”

We absolutely can not wait to set our eyes on the item number that’s got us all on the edge of our seats!

Published in Daily Times, December 4^th 2017.