Film actress Aarti Khetrapal, who got a meaty role in the ALTBalaji horrex series Ragini MMS Returns 2, is very happy with the web space.
“This new medium offers talented actors across mediums different roles. Also, it offers end users the freedom to watch content at their convenience and price point. e.g on hand, rickshwalas who can ill-afford expensive movie tickets, can still view our shows on their smart phones. Equally, on the other side of the spectrum, busy executives can now binge-watch while in the office itself,” says Aarti, who has two more web series in her kitty.
Shifting gears to her character in Ragini MMS Returns 2, she says, “It was a challenge to play the lesbian Kamna. Not being of similar orientation, I followed the dictum of method acting for those scenes. I also read up a lot on them and had a detailed discussion with my director before shooting. We did not want to give less attention to the filming of the alternate s*x route as with man-woman action.”
Point out that the show seems to center more on the s*x angle than the horror, “Well, if you have eight characters, automatically, the number of s*x scenes get higher. Also, by default, erotica action is naturally remembered more than the horror, which remains the crux of the show.”
“Our story’s mainstay seems to get across the idea that one must not manipulate sexual relationships for one’s own ends (my character tells the other girl to own up to which female she really loves). Also, sexual prejudices can prove to be fatal as our gay ghost was lynched years back by the villagers, leading to her revenge saga,” added Aarti, who was first noticed in her film, Muskurahatein.
“We also wish to put forward the idea that men should stop using women for sexual gratification. Making out is not a big thing, as long as it is consensual. But using it to blackmail or defame others by leaking WhatsApp chats is a certain crime.”
In closing, Aarti does accept that in her viewpoint, women’s empowerment is not limited to sleeping around. “Web series directors and writers might have their own vision. How people perceive it also boils down to personal ideologies.”
