Akshay Oberoi On Bollywood & LGBTQ+ Representation: 'I Wasn’t Shy Or Disgusted'

Akshay Oberoi opens up on LGBTQ+ representation in Bollywood, saying queer fans are key supporters and deserve more visibility, both on and off the screen.

Akshay Oberoi as a queer character in Inside Edge Season 3.

Source : Instagram@akshay0bero

Mumbai, June 7 (IANS) Actor Akshay Oberoi spoke about the importance of representation and inclusion in the Indian entertainment industry and said that the Hindi film industry doesn’t acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community much.

Akshay said, "Bollywood doesn’t acknowledge it, but a lot of the love and fandom we get is actually from the queer community and we should acknowledge that. They have been a massive part of our support system as artists.”

He said he has never been bothered about the sexuality of his characters.

“As someone who truly values love and identity in all forms, I’ve never been bothered about the sexuality of my characters. For me, it's about telling human stories, and every human deserves to be seen,” Akshay added.

Talking about his performance as a queer character in Inside Edge Season 3, Akshay said: “I wasn’t shy or disgusted to play that character. On the contrary, it was overwhelming and fulfilling to step into a role that carried so much internal conflict and courage. It’s easy to play parts that fall into the typical hero template.”

He added: “But when you get an opportunity to play a character that challenges societal norms, you grow not just as an actor, but as a person. Everyone deserves the right to be comfortable in their own skin."

The actor will next be seen in ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ which is set to release on September 12. It is directed by Shashank Khaitan. ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ stars Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor.

The rom-com is produced by Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar, Apoorva Mehta, and Shashank Khaitan. With Karan Johar known for his expertise in the romantic comedy genre, fans are excited about what the film will offer once it finally releases.

Akshay is also set to star alongside Manoj Bajpayee and Saqib Saleem in gritty crime drama.

The project which has commenced shooting, details of which are currently under wraps. The trio, who were recently spotted shooting in Bhopal, are set to travel across various parts of India as filming continues through May and June.

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)