Sriti Jha has played a variety of characters on screen, but it was her performance at a spoken word festival that propelled her to the top of social media. Her poem titled ‘Confessions of a Romantic Asexual,’ which she performed at The Spoken Fest in Mumbai, went viral, leaving many people wondering if it was based on her personal experiences. Sriti told indianexpress.com that while writing the poem was a “cathartic” experience, it is not about her.
“I’ve written poems about the LGBTQ community, and I understand that because they were written in the first person, many people assumed they were about me.” I had written a few more poems when a poet named Daniyal told me that by writing in the first person, I was taking the voice away from the people and their important stories. The poem comforted me in many ways because I went through a phase where I felt I wasn’t understood and felt the pressure to be cool like everyone else. “It was very cathartic for me, but the poem is not about me,” Sriti Jha explained.
When asked if she had missed out on eligible dating opportunities because of what others thought about her sexual orientation, she laughed and said, “Not really, and if people are so judgmental, then it was good riddance.”
Sriti comes across as intelligent, and when asked if this intimidates people, she responded, “I might come across as intelligent, but I am very fickle-minded.” There isn’t enough substance depth. In addition, I believe there are enough interesting people. And we should approach others as humans rather than with unrealistic expectations. Kindness and a sense of humour are what we all seek.”
Sriti revealed that she began writing poems in 2017 while bedridden due to tuberculosis. It gave her a voice and a new perspective, according to the actor. “I was inspired by another poet who is non-binary and writes extensively about the community.” “My first poem was Choodiyan, and I really identified with it, and then I wrote a series for Fairytales for Invisible Children, which included the asexuality poem and a lesbian love story,” she explained.
Sriti Jha is currently in Cape Town filming Khatron Ke Khiladi 12. Aneri Bajani, Rubina Dilaik, Mr Faisu, Jannat Zubair, Nishant Bhat, Pratik Sehajpal, Tushar Kalia, Mohit Malik, Rajiv Adatia, Chetna Pande, Erica Packard, and Shivangi Joshi will also appear on the Rohit Shetty-hosted show.