Gender Trouble: The Misrepresentation Of Trans Identities In Indian Cinema

For over a century, Indian films have portrayed transgender characters either as villains or have used them for comic relief. Such stereotypical portrayals fail to bring to the fore the complex lives of transgenders who have been living on the margins of society for thousands of years. Such character misrepresentation has been happening for too long, at least in the Indian film industry.

Though in the recent past an attempt has been made to portray the transgender community with utmost sensitivity in films and series, Sushmita Sen-starrer Taali has initiated a pertinent debate바카라�Can gender be performed? While a few transgender-transexual acti­vists and scholars are of the opinion that actors, by the very virtue of their jobs, are free to take up any roles, another section thinks it is a time-tested mechanism to deny deserved representation to transgender actors.

Some recent films have chosen to focus on the complexity of trans lives, but cis-gender actors were picked to play the roles of transgenders. While Than­gam (2020), a part of the Sudha Kongara-directed anthology Paava Kadhiagal, was critically appreciated for showcasing the character of 27-year-old transgender Saathar, who is secretly in love with their childhood friend Saravanan, the role was played by cis-gender actor Kalidas Jaya­ram. Even Vijay Sethupati바카라�s noteworthy acting in Tamil film Super Deluxe (2019) couldn바카라�t evade the allegation of appropriating the role of a trans woman.

Globally, though films like The Danish Girl (2015) and Transamerica (2005) had been appreciated for their sensible representation of transgender characters, the lead roles played by cis-gender actors evoked controversies. The life of transgender artist Einar Wegener, who underwent gender reassignment surgeries in the 1930s to bec­ome Lili Elbe and was the central subject of the paintings of her wife and reno­wned Danish artist Gerda Wegener, was portrayed brilliantly in The Danish Girl.

Wegener바카라�s canvas where she explored gender as performance was the only space for Elbe to come out as what she wanted to be바카라�far beyond the limits of social imagination and unabated vilification. Even after such detailed and sensible representation, the role of Elbe played by Eddie Redmayne바카라�a cis-gender man바카라�attracted flak from different quarters. Trans writer Carol Grant des­cribed the choice to cast Redmayne as 바카라�regressive, reductive, and contributes to harmful stereotypes바카라�. Later, Redma­yne said though his intention was honest, it was a 바카라�mistake바카라� to take up the role.

Despite its complex and nuanced narrative, Felicity Huffman-starrer Trans­a­merica바카라�the story of a trans person who during a journey finds her son whom she fathered when she was a man바카라�had to face a backlash. The presence of other trans actors in primary roles and writer and activist Andrea James as the script consultant saved it from more criticism.

However, there are films that have off­ered lead roles to trans actors. Rashaad Ernesto Green-directed Gun Hill Road (2011) was not a blockbuster, but the cha­racter played by trans actor Harmony Santana added complexities to the performance. It is the story of a teenager who is exploring her trans-self and her father, who has just got out of jail. The way he negotiates with the identity of his child sho­ws the struggle of a father. Another father-child film, Cowboys (2020), also offered the character of Joe (transgender teenager) to young trans actor Sasha Knight who brings her experiences on screen.

While the representation of transgenders around the world offers some hope, in India, the dominance of cis-gender actors makes it difficult for trans people to get their representative roles.

Popular theatre activist and artist A Revathi, 57, says: 바카라�I think anybody can play any role. We are artists. But my question is why are we not given the roles of women? We are women as well.바카라� She thinks the major reason behind exc­luding trans actors from main roles stems from the market compulsions of producers and directors. 바카라�They make films to earn money. If they give lead roles to us, nobody will watch these films and thus they always cast big stars. But they can at least give us primary roles,바카라� says the actress, popularly known as Revathi Amma.

However, for transgender activist and scholar Dr Aqsa Shaikh, the debate is not about the ability of binary actors, rather it is a matter of justice. 바카라�Shouldn바카라�t trans actors be preferred for such roles? You shouldn바카라�t infringe upon someone else바카라�s rights. Cis-gender can definitely play transgender roles to great efficiency, but the fact is trans actors barely get a chance to play other roles,바카라� Shaikh says.

Though the debates are dotted with progressive calls for fair participation of transgenders, Revathi Amma feels most of it is a blatant display of hypocrisy. 바카라�When Kalidas Jayaram played the role of the transgender in Thangam, he took training under a transgender person. After the success of the film, he lamented the lack of participation from the community. I was really upset. Why are you people not giving us work? Aren바카라�t we good actors?바카라� asks the actor whose 2008 debut film Thenavattu was critically acclaimed.

The logic of the market is one of the major reasons behind the lack of transgender representation, feel scholars. 바카라�There is a tendency to take refuge under stardom, a certain well-known actress, so that they don바카라�t have to find someone from the transgender community,바카라� says film scholar Sayandeb Chowdhury.

He feels that actors can and should play any role they are assigned. 바카라�Actors play different characters. I see no reason why Sushmita Sen should be blamed for playing a transgender. The roles of gangsters, for instance, are essayed by actors and not gangsters. Similarly, the role of someone from the Dalit community need not necessarily be played by a Dalit,바카라� he says.

The debate gets more complex when it comes to the conflation of transgender and transsexual identities. Bollywood actress of Ghoomar-fame (2023) Ivanka Das questions the lack of understanding of the film directors regarding gender and sexuality. 바카라�Transgenders are those who have gender dysphoria and transexuals are those who have both gender and body dysphoria. If you are taking transexual women to play transgender roles, that is not going to work,바카라� says Das, who was given the role of Nargis in Taali, but she had to quit due to internal politics. 바카라�They had forcefully imposed the male voice on Nargis. It was not sounding good at all. One has to understand that transsexual women are women and should be treated like that,바카라� she adds.

She feels that while method actors can play any role, candid actors like her need flexibility.  바카라�If I am being asked to play the role of a woman, I would be comfortable. In Ghoomar, my trans identity is revealed through the script, not with the imposition of any physical feature,바카라� she notes.

One can combat societal stereotypes with the help of good scripts, feel experts. 바카라�We can have trans scriptwriters, directors and actors to represent themselves. Trans people can also play cis-gender roles. In Made in Heaven 2, the role of Trinetra has been appreciated by everyone. It is high time trans people start telling their stories,바카라� says Shaikh. It is the collective responsibility of the director, scriptwriter, actors and all other stakeholders to build up a transgender character in a sensible manner, thinks Chowdhury. 바카라�It is more about a sensible response than restraining cis-gender actors from taking up transgender roles,바카라� he adds. Films like Sheer Quorma (2021), written by a non-binary person Faraz Arif Ansari or Tanuja Chandra바카라�s A Monsoon Date (2019) are steps in the right direction, Shaikh notes.

But it바카라�s not enough. For years, activists like Revathi Amma have been asking for repres­e­ntation on the censor board to put a curb on insensitive portrayals. 바카라�We took to the streets, submitted several reports. But nothing worked out,바카라� laments the veteran actor. Judith Butler, in her book Gender Trouble looks into gender as a performative act. But does the gendered act precede one바카라�s gender identity on the silver screen? Perhaps, the complexity lies in justice, not in performance.

(This appeared in the print as 'Gender Trouble')