Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga is a poignant love story that’s going to set a record of sorts with its fresh subject. And behind it is a writer who has an interesting story of her own.
- Editorial
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga is a poignant love story that’s going to set a record of sorts with its fresh subject. And behind the story is a writer who has an interesting story of her own. That of her journey from a boy to a girl. While onscreen Sonam Kapoor is romancing Regina Cassandra in the movie, the off-screen reality of Gazal Dhaliwal’s story is the inspiration behind the celluloid romance.
Journey From Gunraj To Gazal
Born a man with Gender Dysphoria or Gender Identity Disorder, Gazal’s life was not easy as she had trouble associating herself with the biological gender she was born with. Known as Gunraj till she was 25, Gazal had felt feminine since the age of 5. Dressing up as a girl invited a slap from a relative which was a reminder of society’s view on cross dressing and gender issues. After doing a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering, she worked with Infosys Technologies for a while before quitting it to chase her dream of writing. Her talent was recognised and today she is known for being the name behind the stories, dialogues and screenplays of movies such as Wazir, Qarib Qarib Singlle and Lipstick Under My Burkha. She also featured in a short film called Identity, which was all about her transformation. She has also penned about her struggles during the transformation from one end of the gender spectrum to the other. Beginning 2006 with a psychiatric evaluation, Gazal embarked on a journey where she discovered that hormones are not magic pills and they take time to make you develop a feminine look, that a lot of research is needed before opting for any procedure (she had a bad experience with electrolysis for facial hair removal) and rushing into surgery is not a wise decision.
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Identity Crisis
While times are changing for the LGBTQ community, there is still a huge knowledge gap among people about it. The need to belong exists among us humans and categorising people into certain gender roles is also deemed necessary. So for people like Gazal, it becomes a tough thing to put themselves in a bracket since being transgender has nothing to do with sexual orientation so it’s not a question of being gay or not gay.
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga received rave reviews from celebrities who applauded Gazal’s take on the subject of homosexual love.
Saw #EkLadkiKoDekhaTohAisaLaga last night.. such a difficult subject handled with so much dignity n restraint..wishing All the very best to its cast n crew!! Its an important film first of its kind.. pic.twitter.com/z79jVtn3qe
— Farah Khan (@TheFarahKhan) February 1, 2019
A wonderful movie that stays with you #EkLadkiKoDekhaTohAisaLaga is both relevant and funny. @sonamakapoor is absolutely lovely and @iam_juhi you cracked me up-we have a cousin who speaks exactly like you do in the movie! Folks go watch it ! pic.twitter.com/RVYgWBTz1a
— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) February 1, 2019
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