Shakun Batra’s critically acclaimed family drama Kapoor & Sonshas completed a decade since its release. In a recent interview, the filmmaker looked back on the film’s challenging journey, revealing that multiple actors initially turned it down due to discomfort with its subtle portrayal of a closeted gay character, causing a two-year delay between the script’s completion and the start of filming.
In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Shakun Batra said, "There was a two-year gap between when the film was written and when it got made. A lot of actors turned it down in the beginning. Actors weren't comfortable playing homosexuals back then, and at one point I thought I needed to move on-I'd never get to make the film. Fawad loved the script and called me to ask, 'Is homosexuality a whisper or a shout?' I told him it was a whisper, and he was on board. That's the only conversation we had-that homosexuality would be presented in a subtle manner, without saying it out loud."
He added, "There are little hints, like tangerine shoes or self-conscious moments with his mother. We wanted families to connect to the film and feel this person could be part of their family, and it does not change anything. We didn't show anything that would be off-putting. I remember watching the scene where Fawad Khan breaks down in front of Ratna Pathak Shah, saying he isn't the perfect son, and I haven't been so touched by any other scene. I watched it from the lens of an audience, not a filmmaker."
The filmmaker furthermore revealed how there wasn't a single day on set when there wasn't an argument with the late Rishi Kapoor.
