Director Anubhuti Kashyap’s Accused, starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Ranta, has begun streaming on Netflix. As the film revolves around a queer relationship and sexual harassment at workplace, it was crucial for the director to make the right casting choice to justify the sensitive topic and the unconventional roles. As Accused receives positive reviews from audiences and critics, Anubhuti Kashyap reveals the reason behind casting Pratibha Ranta in a pivotal role.
She emphasises that casting was mainly about finding actors who could truly perform the part. “Of course, at that time, Laapataa Ladies was doing really well, and Pratibha was receiving a lot of appreciation. Everyone, including Netflix, was interested in casting her,” she says.
“We tested Pratibha and a few other actors as well because we wanted to be completely sure and make the right choice. But honestly, she stood out. She fit the role beautifully. Even Netflix was keen on having her on board, and after the tests, it just felt right. She performed the part so naturally and with so much honesty that the decision became very easy for all of us,” she adds.
Pratibha shares the screenspace for the first time with Konkona Sen Sharma, renowned for making thoughtful choices of work and portraying off-beat, layered characters. The actress plays one half of a lesbian couple who find their relationship tested after one of them faces an accusation of sexual harassment at the workplace. And tapping into such space marks another bold step for Pratibha, indicating that she refrains from being boxed into predictable roles.
After winning hearts with Anubhuti Kashyap’s Accused, Pratibha Ranta genre-hops into Nikkhil Advani’s Amazon Prime Series, The Revolutionaries.