In Raaj Shandilyaa’s Dream Girl 2, Ayushmann Khurrana plays a financially strapped Karam, who turns to drag to become Pooja. He is the latest in a long line of Indian actors who have embodied women in their work, including Amitabh Bachchan in Laawaris (1982), Govinda in Aunty No. 1 (1998), Salman Khan in Jaan-E-Mann (2006) and Akshay Kumar in Laxmii (2020). The tradition of men playing women on stage is an old one, particularly as acting was not considered an appropriate profession for women, though it has been a few decades since the sexist practice was scrapped in theatre and mainstream cinema. There have been several instances of men cross-dressing as women in Indian cinema, but some of these portrayals have bordered on being derogatory and caricature-ish, and typically played for laughs. Still, despite all the Golmaals and the Humshakals, there are some instances of male actors dressing up as women that do the work, give the feels and are also great fun to watch.
Kishore Kumar in ‘Aake Seedhi Lagi Dil Pe’
