Netflix’s original series Sacred Games took everyone by storm. Featuring popular names like Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi and Radhika Apte, the series was supposed to focus on these three but the one who took away the attention was actress Kubra Sait with her role of a transgender in the series. Sacred Games got rave reviews including a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Kubra who plays Kukoo in the series has been hailed for her sensitive portrayal of a transgender.
With limited screen time and starring alongside already established actors Kubra was sure to have been overshadowed, but her powerful performance as the love interest of Nawaz’s gangster avatar ensured that her character stays with you long after the episode has ended. Portraying a transgender was no easy feat especially when you don’t have any precedent to draw from. However, Kubra definitely nailed the character and got immensely involved with it. Talking to a leading daily, she said, “I am more empathetic and aware now. The implications of Article 377, the meaning of transsexual, Pride day and LGBTQ all have a new meaning. Now every transgender role will be compared to this character. Taking up this role has been a big move.”
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In the social media-savvy world Kubra finds herself as a subject of several memes. There is one which is her favourite where her character is placed among the greatest real-life magicians in a reference to ‘Kukoo Ka Jadoo’ angle in the series. Kubra’s performance has been so genuine and powerful that now people have started searching whether she is a transgender in real life or not. Talking about this perception Kubra said, “I am a woman who likes men, yet, I have managed to convince the world that I have a willy. I played the character with the same honesty that I played a tree when I was a six-year-old in a school play.”
Kubra’s character has only a passing reference in the book written by Vikram Chandra on which the series is based. Although the significant aspect of Kubra’s character is its sex, it was the enactment that made it a hit. Kubra said, “Showcasing Kukoo’s humanity was important. The writing is such that her anatomy is irrelevant. Her emotions stay with you because heartbreak is universal. I had to make her endearing not trashy. Transgender does not imply loud.”
Kubra’s scene of heartbreak might have earned her brownie points from the audience but it was exhausting for her to enact and believe it or not it was the first scene to be canned. Apparently, director Anurag Kashyap told her, “Remember that time when the love of your life left?” That opened the floodgates for Kubra and she couldn’t stop herself from crying. Remembering the time of the shoot, Kubra said, “I couldn’t stop crying. We took seven takes and I broke down each time. In fact, after the shot I even hugged Nawaz and cried as if he was going to leave me. “
