Creators of ‘Dukaan’ claim to have conducted thorough research on surrogates; reveal why the cast does not feature any major celebrities
Director duo Siddharth Singh and Garima Wahal are all set for the release of their film ‘Dukaan’, which focuses on surrogates. In a recent interview with IANS, they revealed why they chose not to cast a big Bollywood name in the film.
Wahal explained, “This film is about surrogacy. Surrogates are faceless so if we would’ve gotten a big name attached to the film, it wouldn’t have looked like a surrogate only. We have taken a face, which is seen but not much. That gives justice to the film.”
Singh mentioned that they did approach big names for the film, but were turned down. He said, “We did reach out to big names… but whoever we approached said ‘I don’t want to play pregnant’, ‘give me a glamorous role’. We thought it wouldn’t justify the film then we decided to take a person, who is entirely convinced with this role.”
They shared insights from a village in Gujarat where surrogacy has been prevalent. Singh mentioned, “We met ladies, who have given birth to babies via surrogacy four to five times.”
Wahal highlighted that while many Bollywood celebrities have opted for surrogacy in real life, no actress was willing to portray a surrogate on screen. She also criticized previous Bollywood films on surrogacy for lacking factual accuracy.
The film ‘Dukaan’ is set to hit the theaters on April 5, promising a refreshing take on surrogacy with a focus on authenticity and research.