Meet Gazal Dhaliwal, the trailblazing transwoman, who wrote 'ELKDTAL'
The trailer of Sonam Kapoor's Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga has been breaking the internet for all the right reasons. The movie revolves around homosexuality and needless to say the attempt is brave. But what many people don't know is that a transwoman penned her own experiences in the movie. Meet writer Gazal Dhaliwal, the trailblazer who lived her life like she wanted to.
While Gazal's name may sound new to many, she is the writer of acclaimed movies like Alankrita Shrivastava's Lipstick Under My Burkha and Tanuja Chandra's Qarib Qarib Singlle. It was always about taking the road less traveled for Gazal who started her career as a software engineer in Infosys. She ditched her job to pursue her dream of being a writer in Bollywood.
Life was never easy for Gazal who was born as Gunraj to a Sikh family in Patiala, Punjab. Sharing her experiences on Aamir Khan's show Satyamev Jayate, Gazal said she was five when she came to terms with her reality. Gazal battled gender dysphoria till 25. The writer always knew she was a woman trapped inside a man's body.
The trailer of ELKDTAL has received rave reviews from the audience and Gazal can't stop gushing over it. Gazal revealed while she started writing the movie in 2016, the entire process took several decades. Understandably, writing one's truth is never easy.
Helmed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, ELKDTAL features an ensemble cast including Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, and Juhi Chawla. Interestingly, the movie reunites Anil and Juhi after more than a decade. They shared screen space in 2007 release Salaam-e-Ishq. Besides, it is also Anil-Sonam's first collaboration. ELKDTAL also features southern actress Regina Cassandra. She reportedly plays Sonam's love interest in the movie.
ELKDTAL revolves around a homosexual girl fighting the world and her inner self for her 'real' identity. It joins the list of rare movies, like Aligarh and Margarita With A Straw, which have dealt with homosexuality sensibly. ELKDTAL, which brings to viewers the most unexpected romance of 2019, has already been hailed by the LGBTQ community. The movie will release on February 1, 2019.
