Anupria Goenka opens up on her character of sex worked in her Cannes market title ‘Bombay Stories’

Mumbai, May 18 (IANS) Actress Anupria Goenka, who is headed to the ongoing Cannes Film Festival 2026 with her film ‘Bombay Stories’, has shed light on her character of a sex worker in the film.

The film will be showcased at the prestigious Marche du Film (Cannes Film Market), and is directed by Rahhat Shah Kazmi. The film is based on Saadat Hasan Manto’s ‘Hatak’, a part of his seminal collection of short stories of the same name. It marks the actress’ first independent film. The film explores the lives of sex workers through a satirical lens and it also features Mouni Roy and Sushmiita Singh.

Talking about the film, Anupria said, “I have always wanted to do independent cinema and I am so glad, I am portraying a character written by Manto, in my first. Hatak means insult and my story is about Saugandhi’s journey navigating her own self through the society’s scrutiny towards her”.

Elaborating on the character she said, “Saugandhi being a sex worker has resigned to that life. But she craves love, appreciation, and the feeling of being made to feel like a woman by a man, and not just be treated like a sexual object. I found so much of me in her and explored so many other shades of me as a woman through Saugandhi”.

“My belief is that as long as someone wants to sell their body and has the agency to do that, it’s absolutely their choice. It’s like any other profession. It becomes a sin and is abhorred when one is forced into the system against their choice, when they don’t have any legal rights or are dehumanized and looked upon like objects. This then needs to be stopped at all costs. It also takes away the respect that the profession deserves, and through the film the team wants to shed light on the discrimination, sex workers face and mirror the reality of the society. We hope that the message gets across to everyone who watches the film”, she added.

–IANS

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