MUMBAI: Nowadays, it has become very easy to be the subject of trolls. People don’t mince their words anymore and often come out with ruthless feedback. This is why the fact that actor Ankita Dubey, who is part of Shipra and Shivankar Arora’s short film Love Knows No Gender, hasn’t even got a single bad review for her performance is such a big deal. The film focusses on a homosexual relationship and can be seen on Shipra and Shivankars’s YouTube channel Content Ka Keeda. “Love Knows No Gender was an experience that I will never forget, it helped me explore the depths of my skills, potential and personality. About the response, everyone has been appreciating my performance and the script. There is also a huge shower of messages with mixed responses and reviews, but what I loved is that there is not even a single negative feedback, even from people I thought are not open enough to accept the topic of our film. Everyone seems ready to change their mindset even if this idea is not really friendly. There is a lot of scope in the society, and seeing the response that I am getting around me seems like things are moving in the positive direction. This project has also helped people around me perceive my potential differently,” says Ankita, who was last seen in the film Mehrunisa, a film made by Australian crew for festivals, as well as an ad film made for Mumbai Police.  

Ask her how she came on board, and Ankita says, “The subject of the film was the biggest reason I wanted to be a part of it. It’s educating and for the betterment of each individual who has an equal right to love, no matter what gender. It needs to reach out, we need to change the way people feel, and being in the entertainment industry, it is a privilege as we have an opportunity to reach out to masses. This is our responsibility as well. I still see people treating the LGBT community differently, I don't understand why...how can we judge people on the basis of the gender that they love. They have a life ,let them live. They are humans, not aliens. I really appreciate the thought behind the film and am proud that Shipra, Shivankar and the team came up with this idea and made it so simple and beautiful.”

Ankita says that she always wanted to be part of such a film. “Love Knows No Gender was a story I feel I was looking for for ages. I always like to be part of projects that are intense and have a purpose to bring a change for good.

India is getting better and is far better than before, but we still have some deep-rooted ideas that need to be tapped,” she says.

Talking about her character, she says, “I played the character of Pallavi in the film. Pallavi is someone who has been typically fed with societal norms like most of us. She loves her best friend Ankita (played by Rini Das) but is afraid to confess this. Her upbringing and family conditions never let her free herself from responsibility and emotional barriers and confusions about who exactly she is and knowing and accepting herself the way she is. She isn't brave enough to talk about her reality like most people still do. There are still many Pallavis out there and the idea is to help them speak up.”

Ankita loved working with both Shipra and Shivankar as well. “Shivankar always surprises me with his observations. I knew him as a DOP but as we started with the journey of their YouTube channel Content ka Keeda, he proved that he is a beautiful director too. In each of his projects, he has poured his heart and soul. I find myself lucky to have him as a friend and a beautiful director who has immense scope to grow and help grow,” she says, adding, “With Shipra, I feel we have a karmic connection. We met first on a Dating Siyappa episode through Shivankar and since then, our bond has only grown stronger. She is a gem of a person. You can see her heart in each of her creation and story. You can see a reflection of her purpose in all her stories. I really want to grow with such people who have a bigger purpose than just making money,” she says.