Gohar Rasheed will be doing an item song with hundred transgenders in his upcoming film Rangreza. According to Gohar, the idea is to acknowledge the transgender community in our society and show life from their perspective and respect them at the same time. The song has been sung by Asrar Shah and penned by Akhtar Qayoum.
“It’s a celebration song shot in suburban Karachi,” Rasheed told The Express Tribune. “My character is a dholak player, who stumbles upon this celebration of a newborn baby where a hundred transgenders are dancing and participates in it.”
“It is an item song because of the elaborate and colourful set, mainly. The song is done in good fun and not meant to degrade them. In fact, you will find many transgenders dancing and celebrating with people on many occasions across Pakistan so it is not out of the ordinary,” he added.
He further said, “When I was working on this song, I never thought about what the audience would perceive. The idea is to give transgender community an opportunity to be a part of the entertainment industry so they can be perceived as equals. But when we were working with them, I realised they were equally talented as anyone else, maybe even better. So, the purpose is to show that they can be good entertainers and deserve equal opportunities and equal rights.”
“When we talk about trans community, it’s always a little uncomfortable. But working on the song made me realise that it’s okay to hang out, chill and dance with them. This song is a statement on its own way because we wanted to generate a certain thought.”
Rangreza is a musical-romance film featuring a love triangle between Gohar Rasheed, Urwa Hocane and Bilal Ashraf. Gohar will be seen as a Dholak player who is in love with Urwa’s character. While Urwa falls for the rockstar played by Bilal. “But I would say it is thematically connected. The film is about injustice and how only the rich get the most opportunities. So, in that way, this song fits right into the narrative and conveys a strong message about providing equal opportunities to everyone,” said Gohar.
Rangreza is directed by Aamir Mohiuddin, written by Akhtar Qayoum and co-produced by Usman Malkani and Akhlaque Mahesar.