Code red

Manpriya Singh 

Playing a commercial sex worker on the screen is a high-risk proposition. Tabu, Kareena, Julia Roberts, Preity Zinta, Sharmila Tagore… the list of heroines who have done it is long and compelling, and the comparisons will be unsparing. Little wonder when former Bigg Boss contestant Renee Dhyani was approached for the role of a commercial sex worker, she said an emphatic no! 

“Also the fact that if not portrayed well, your character and performance can easily be cheap rather than brilliant,” shares the actress, who landed a bit late (blame it on Mumbai rains and the get-up of her character) while in Chandigarh for the promotion of her upcoming prime-time television offering, Zee TV’s Yeh Teri Galiyaan.  A love story, but one set against the backdrop of red light district of Kolkata’s Sonagachi. 

The initial no instantly turned to an eager yes, once she heard the script out - two innocent children being raised in the forbidden lanes of a red light area. A friendship commences only to be forcefully separated by destiny. Will they unite as lovers or will the societal pressure of background and lineage take over? “I was more than convinced of my suitability for the role. It is bold and not like the stereotypical sex workers we have seen previously,” shares the actress who plays the protagonist, Beauty. 

First brush 

While the shooting may not have happened in the red-light district, the research definitely took place there. “I visited that area after the shoot and the women there are like women anywhere. You’ll see a woman across the street carrying groceries for her home and yet another with a child in her lap. They are like you and me, only with a different profession.” She adds, “One thing I picked up from my character was that they use the word Duggama a lot in their speech and quite repeatedly. It stands for Durga Maa.” 

Not perfect, yet

While she may have gone through the on screen renditions of the role by top heroines in films like Chandani Bar, Chameli and Mandi, but nothing has impressed her completely so far. “I feel no one has done it with absolute perfection. That doesn’t mean that I have done complete justice to it. That means there has always been room for improvement in anyone’s performance.”  

Bigg lesson learnt

She may have come out depressed and drained from the infamous Bigg Boss house, but it didn’t take long to shed it all. “Once I got busy with my next project, I forgot all about it,” she shares, adding, 

“One of the reasons I was depressed while in there was because my father was undergoing a surgery outside at the time and I am really close to my father.” She walked out, but not before learning a thing or two about different people with different mindsets. 

Road to Chandigarh 

It’s a place where she would often spend her weekends at, where her brother studied and where she has a lot of memories from. “Like a true-blue Chandigarhian, I call Sector 17, satarah. I credit Geri route for my making it to Roadies. And sector 22 is like Sarojini and Janpath for me.” We bet she has a lot to catch up on in the city post this!  

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