EXCLUSIVE - Sacred Games' Kubbra Sait: Only Anurag Kashyap had faith that a girl can pull off Cuckoo

Sacred Games, India's first ever original Netflix series is now streaming online. Directed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, the show stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Ganesh Gaitonde) and Saif Ali Khan (Sartaj Singh) in the lead roles. The characters played by Radhika Apte and Kubbra Sait are also receiving immense appreciation.

Kubbra Sait's portrayal of a gorgeous and stunning transgender Cuckoo in the show has won hearts and the actor is being applauded for her exceptional performance. 

In an EXCLUSIVE interview with Pinkvilla, Kubbra Sait gets candid about her role and the efforts that went behind making Cuckoo a person she is on the show.

Read the interview below:

How was the overall experience of shooting Sacred Games and working on your character Cuckoo?

It was crazy. It was very raw, very real. It was just a beautiful experience. I think the toughest part for me was to dance. The breakdown scene that you see, we actually shot that on the first day. So, I had really no time to soak in this character. I had to be the best version of Cuckoo. So, I saw the most vulnerable side of the character, the most exposed side of the character on the first day of the shoot. So, thereafter, I only had to stick to how beautiful she is.

You know when someone is so vulnerable as a character, then you can also how much strength that character has. So, it was very simple for me to express Cuckoo. In the show too, until we don't reveal that she's a transgender, you are just looking at her like she is one of the most beautiful people walking on this earth. Even the revelation has no drama. She is standing in the cubicle and sees that Paritosh is telling him (Gaitonde) in the corner saying 'Haan woh Cuckoo ka chaddi mein extra jagah hai na'. The respect, the vulnerability, the love Cuckoo has received as a character were there on set. Everybody sees it. Cuckoo is everybody's favourite. The minute I would change into Cuckoo's outfit, there was no Kubbra, there was only Cuckoo.

And when someone loves you so much, it translates into the work that you do. So, I am very grateful to everyone on the set, Nawaz for being such a phenomenal co-actor, Anurag for directing me so beautifully. So, I never felt it to be a challenge. I also remember Anurag told me 'if you ever feel uncomfortable, then just stop and tell me. Because if you are uncomfortable and you carry on, then everybody can see it'. And the minute everybody will see it, they will feel it, the whole set will be uncomfortable. I never had one day that made me uncomfortable.

What made you accept the role? How did you prepare for it?

So, the turnaround time was just 10 days. From the audition to the first day I started shooting, I just had 10 days. So, I really didn't get to prepare for the character. My lines from the audition to the shoot were also changed. What was stunning about this character Cuckoo was that she is beautiful, she is strong, she is vulnerable. In a world where we are talking about equality, where we demand it because we believe it, we deserve it, it never occurred to me that Cuckoo is a male, Cuckoo is a female or Cuckoo is a transgender. The last thing on my mind was Cuckoo's gender. The first thing on my mind was that Cuckoo is a diva! She's the diva who can make Bombay spin on her fingertips and she can make Gaitonde fall in love with him because she wants to fall in love with him. Now, that is the bigger responsibility than reducing or belittling the whole thing to just transgender. The challenge for me was no one has attempted it before. I was like... give it to me. I will do it because no one has done it before.

I remember Anurag was the only one who had the faith that a girl can pull it off. He wanted a girl to pull it off. Even Netflix wanted a man to play. I am really, really blessed that it came to me and I did justice to it. I didn't realise how nice it has turned out until I saw myself on screen. When I saw Cuckoo onscreen, I got goosebumps. There's so much love, so much respect for every character. The underdogs have stolen the show.

How could I have said no to the dream team - Anurag, Nawaz, Netflix and Phantom? Imagine the way they have treated Cuckoo and the way they have treated the rest of the characters.

It was great writing, great creative, I have learned so much.

Your character as a transgender wasn't shown in a stereotypical way as it is usually done is movies and shows. Cuckoo is beautiful and stunning and even the revelation didn't change it. What do you have to say about it?

In movies and show, they show eunuch. They are not shown as transgenders. For example, when you travel, you go to a dance bar or a strip bar, in Europe or in Thailand, you can never tell that the person who is dancing is a girl or the guy. They take care of their skin, they take care of the clothes, they care about the food they eat. They take care of themselves like a freaking diva and you can't even tell that they are men under that outfit.

Imagine in the 80s you have a person, who's so gorgeous and glamorous and she is a transgender. It's amazing, it is a fantastic thought and it is very progressive. Imagine if Cuckoo had to be a part of a movement at that time, she could have easily done.

If Cuckoo had to exist in today's time, she could have made an impact because she believes in herself. She would have changed so much for the world that we live in today.

Was there any scene where you felt Cuckoo's emotions real and relatable to you?

When the breakdown scene was happening, Anurag called me to the vanity and told me about the scene and also that I have to cry. I was very nervous to know that I have to cry and he was laughing and giggling and telling me 'ho jayega, ho jayega'.

Inside the vanity, he asked me what I drink and I told him wine. He gave me a glass to a Whiskey and started reading the lines. When he saw my mood and my teary eyes, he asked me to tell him something about my relationships. So, I told him that the first person I loved just disappeared from my life. When I was about to cry, he told me to remember the moment when you want to reach out to this person and the person has vanished. This was the moment for Cuckoo. She really wants this guy but she knows Gaitonde will vanish. I started crying and the moment that happened, he told someone to take me to the vanity van told me to join the sets when I will be fine.

We did the breakdown scene seven times. Sometimes, I wonder if that heartbreak was of Cuckoo's or Kubbra's.