Monica Dogra clearly has the itch to do something new every single day. Acting, designing and hosting shows comes naturally to this member of alternative music group Sha’ir+Func. Now on the anvil is a short film called Relapse . Produced by Film Independent in LA, the film tells the story of two women in love who are torn apart by an illness. It is directed by Rosie Haber and stars Monica and Casey Legler, best known as the few female androgynous models in the industry today. The film is a part of Project Involve, an effort to celebrate diversity and fund projects that explore those themes. The movie, at the editing stage now, will be screened at the LA Film Festival in June.
While most people would hesitate taking on a lesbian role, Monica, who made her acting debut in Dhobi Ghat, says it was not a difficult decision to make. “I suppose I see things for what they could be, and not what they are. In my mind, love is love, people are people... I don’t see gay, straight, lesbian, queer, Indian, white, black, yellow as exclusive qualifiers. We are moving towards a world where these words will become less and less valid, and inadequate to describe what things actually are. I think beauty lies in freedom and worlds colliding, in diversity, expression... I’m so many things that don’t ‘belong’ together. For me, it was an incredible opportunity to make a film with an amazing script and that was all that mattered,” says Monica, who had a guest role in Rock On and hosted the TV show The Dewarists .
She was brought on board by producer Jeff Roy, who Monica met when he was in India shooting his documentary Mohammed to Maya . Asked about her working experience, she says, “My director Rosie is a woman who is so sensitive and has lived so much life herself that she knew just the way to direct this film and reveal the most vulnerable performances from her actors. Casey Legler is a force of nature, and after meeting her I feel I will never be the same. I’ve never met an artist so militant and fragile at the same time. I can’t wait for India to meet Casey. That’ll be a wonderful day.”
Asked if she expected any repercussions back home due to the nature of the film, Monica brushes it off in her trademark style. “I didn’t really feel concerned. I feel, if I’m lucky enough to be given attention, acknowledgment on magazine covers, etc... then I have an even greater responsibility than before to be courageous and intelligent about my choices. I take what has happened as a result of Section 377 personally. I have the right to express my love and choose my love. It is a birthright.”
Elaborating on the limitless potential of the unhindered human mind, she adds, “I worry that because the world is such a limiting place that makes you fearful of being different and a pursuant of ‘fitting in’ before one even hits puberty, we may miss the opportunity to discover how unique and path-breaking we could possibly be. Clairvoyance, telepathy, moving matter with the mind, extensive and advanced mathematics... the list goes on. The world has found people who possess these gifts. I’m not comparing LGBT to clairvoyance, but I am relating the importance of exploration of rooted desires to something that is a right, that can ultimately lead down a path of extraordinary beauty. No government has the right to rob us of that.”
