Ivanka Das: Ghoomer was the turning point in my career

Actress Ivanka Das says that while all her projects have been close to her heart, Ghoomer has been the one she treasures. She says that it changed a lot of things for her.

“My first project was a facebook ad. I auditioned and I got finalised and I agreed on doing it and that's how my journey started. Later, I did a show for Netflix called Bombay Begums. That also happened through auditions only,” she says.

She adds, “My most prominent project is Ghoomer and that is I think was the turning point. Ghoomer is not my debut. I have worked before. but I am grateful and I have great screen time in Ghoomer. It was great and I'm grateful for whatever is coming my way. I have got great responses from people. Everyone has appreciated my work in it.”

Talking about working with Abhishek Bachchan, she says, “It was quite intimidating. He was nice, humble and intelligent like I always say. He supported me, guided me. So he is a great actor.”

Neha while Haddi was a different experience too, that taught her a lot. “It was fun. Nawaz sir is amazing and is a very nice person. and he seemed quite interested to talk. So personally, I think he is not only a good actor but also a good person. But I also had a bad time. I call it a bad time because the full transgender community came there and they all had a sense of insecurity. They feel that way because there is a common myth about transgender individuals, that once they undergo the transition, they have to live in a certain way from that time onwards. Moving forward, they have to live in a way that suits their business, just like them. And we, people like me, try to fit into society like a girl and strive to live like one. So, there might be some jealousy among them, as they are not supportive of themselves,” she says.

She adds, “Another thing is that when I went there as an actor, I was receiving different treatment. There was a crowd in one of the scenes where they needed transgender people. It is not possible all the time to engage in a conversation while passing through the crowd. So, maybe someone felt bad somewhere, but I was busy and in my own zone. They misunderstood me and there were several attempts to taunt me, but I ignored them. Once I protested, there was a big argument. Yes, a big argument happened, and then those people even came behind me to harm me, so I had to resort to self-defense. I faced a situation where I couldn't do anything, and it was a preposterous situation. I didn't take any action in that case, and in some cases, I couldn't do anything. That was a bad experience.  I had quite a significant role in that. The film is centered around Nawaz, and I am in the background. Perhaps they edited it, and I was stressed about the same thing. So, in the end, this is how the film turned out, as much as you have seen me in it,” she says.

Talking about her future plans, she adds, “My future plan is centered around becoming an actor. I truly aspire to become, to be acknowledged. As far as I know, I need to earn a name for myself. I mean, not just for making a lot of money, or for achieving something from a commercial perspective. I want to become a star. Actually, that's where the real recognition lies, where people know that she is good and is known for work I do, Like that way, let's see how things unfold in the future.”