Prithviraj Sukumaran on turning down Bombay Talkies: 'Didn't want to repeat queer role after Mumbai Police'

The Malayalam psychological thriller Mumbai Police has endured due to its innovative storytelling and a daring plot twist. Prithviraj Sukumaran's ACP Antony Moses came out as gay in the film, a secret he had hidden for a long time because of internalised homophobia and social pressures. The film was groundbreaking because it challenged the stereotype of homosexual men in Indian cinema by depicting queerness via a strong, dominant male figure.

Prithviraj Sukumaran on Mumbai Police

Recently, Prithviraj spoke with YouTuber Nayandeep Rakshit about his involvement with the project and the significance of his role.

Reflecting on how Mumbai Police came together, the actor-filmmaker stated, "See, I just follow my instinct. If something appeals to me, I pursue it. That’s all. Regarding Mumbai Police, you know, the director, the writers, and I, we were developing that film, and we had reached a point in the screenplay where all of us were stuck, right? And we didn’t know how we were going to take it forward from there."

ALSO READ: Sarzameen review: Prithviraj, Kajol and Ibrahim Ali Khan's 'Mission Kashmir' navigate an overfamiliar terrain

Prithviraj recalled the moment by saying, "Then, a couple of months later, I remember, late at night, Roshan, the director, called me and said, ‘You know, long back when we spoke about cinema, you told me that you would do anything for cinema.’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’ And he goes, ‘You still stick to that?’ I said, ‘Yeah, of course I do.’ He said, ‘I think we might have landed on something.’ I said, ‘Okay, cool, let’s meet.’ So we met, and they told me this twist at the end, and I was genuinely shocked. I said, ‘If I’m shocked listening to this, and if the audience has the same reaction, then the film works.’"

Prithviraj asserted that the handling of the character's sexual orientation made the portrayal dangerous. He said that not only was it daring for a popular actor to represent a gay man in Mumbai Police, but the portrayal was also controversial at the time. This persona was a radical departure from the stereotypical portrayal of gay males in mainstream cinema. The character was a strong-willed, aggressive, dominant police officer who also happened to be gay and it really went against everything. Prithviraj expressed his aspirations for it to be a groundbreaking film.

Why he turned down Bombay Talkies

He disclosed that his rejection of Karan Johar's chapter in the 2013 anthology Bombay Talkies was motivated by two factors. Prithviraj shared, "Karan had spoken to me about this, the film he did in the anthology called Bombay Talkies. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be a part of it for two reasons. One, there were genuine issues with my schedule and dates. And two, at that point, I had just finished shooting another film where I played a gay man, and I didn’t want to do similar characters in two back-to-back projects. But it was a wonderful script. I later saw the film, and it was beautifully performed by Randeep Hooda. I did miss the opportunity to work with Karan as a director, which I hope will happen at some point in life."

Presently, Prithviraj's latest release is Sarzameen, streaming on JioHotstar (OTTplay Premium), which features Kajol and Ibrahim Ali Khan. Earlier this year, a Hindi remake of Mumbai Police titled Deva was released, featuring Shahid Kapoor. Sadly, the remake bombed at the box office and couldn't match the impact of the original.