After Made in Heaven, actor Ankur Rathee has yet again portrayed the role of a homosexual man in Inside Edge 3. The young actor has played the role of Allen Menezes, a gay rights lawyer-activist who is in love with a cricketer afraid of coming out. The latter character has been portrayed by Akshay Oberoi who is known for the 2014 horror movie Pizza.
“I have never kissed another man before,” shares Rathee who has been receiving strong feedback from the audience ever since Inside Edge 3 released on Amazon Prime this December 3.
Ankur feels it's important to note that being gay doesn't necessitate a particular characterization. There is as much diversity of mannerism and personality in gay men as there is in straight men. One's sexual or gender orientation doesn't define them and isn't something they always wear on their sleeve.
"As opposed to my role in Made in Heaven, Allen from Inside Edge is comparatively more flamboyant to me. In my attempt to experiment with a more effeminate demeanor, I paid attention to minute details to my stances. For instance, how to hold my wrist while making a point, how I incline on my right hip while standing to how the voice would fluctuate while convincing my boyfriend on something”, shares Rathee who we last saw in Nagesh Kukunoor’s City of Dreams.
Ankur shares a kissing scene with co-star Akshay Oberoi who also happens to be a long-time friend of his offscreen. Speaking about the action he shares, "To be honest, the artist in me was excited to have this new experience. I was curious to know how it would feel. From Allen’s point of view, I wasn't kissing a “man", I was kissing the love of my life. That's who I was required to be in the scene. So no, it wasn't difficult because, for so many like Allen, physicality is a manifestation of one’s emotional connection”.
Off-screen, Ankur and Akshay have been friends since their early days in the industry. He points out how both hail from similar backgrounds and Akshay has helped Rathee circumvent challenges in more ways than one.
Ankur is currently busy shooting for "Shehzada" with Kartik Aryan and Kriti Sanon, directed by Rohit Dhawan.