Written By: Seher Anand
Edited By: Ishaani Patil
Designed By: Aadhaar Agarwal
It’s 2020. Modern India. By now, everyone is probably treated equally, right? Maybe not as much as we think. When it comes to transgender people living in India, though they may be equal to every other person on paper, they do not receive the same level as respect from society as others that are not part of the LGBTQ+ community. For example, until 2014, people did not legally have the right to even choose their own gender! Now think about people whose whole lives are constantly scrutinized by the media. Imagine how hard it is for transgendered actors/actresses to perform in this judgmental world. Another thing to pay attention to is how transgenders are portrayed in Bollywood films.
Bollywood is notorious for giving people warped ideas regarding gender and sexuality. It has blatantly objectified and demeaned women on several occasions, but trans people have fared even worse. Anytime a trans character is introduced in a Bollywood film, you can expect them to fit into one of two categories: either they will provide ridiculous comic relief, or they will play the role of the villain. There is complete alienation present- the trans person is often seen as the “other” or completely separate from the norm. Just look at any of the following films as an example: ‘Sangharsh’, ‘Sadak’, or even ‘Murder 2’. These three films do not nearly complete the list of movies with extremely violent and unrealistic portrayals of transgendered people. These issues do not even touch upon the numerous stereotypes present within Bollywood regarding the LGBTQ+ community as a whole, and the impact they have on transgenders.
However, is change on the horizon for this industry? Recently, Akshay Kumar took up the role of a transgender woman in an upcoming film ‘Laxmmi Bomb’. Does this signify a shift in society? Heroes may slowly be switching from playing the stereotypical hypermasculine macho men to a more diverse range of characters. Of course, it is yet to be seen how exactly this character will be portrayed, but only time will tell. It’s also important to note that a cisgender man here portrays a transgender woman- true representation hasn’t been achieved.
Even with Bollywood slowly diversifying, what is happening to transgender actors and actresses? Let us look at someone who has been thrust in the spotlight. Mollywood actress Anjali Ameer is commonly known as India’s first transgender actress. She skyrocketed to fame after being the first transgender to land a role in a mainstream film (Peranbu 2018.) The experience, for the most part, has been amazing for Anjali Ameer. She says that she faced no discrimination from her co-star, Mammootty. She was also able to grow immensely and had her breakthrough role. Before this amazing opportunity, however, Anjali Ameer had to overcome challenging hurdles. She lost both of her parents at a young age, and when she realized she was truly a woman, she was not accepted by the rest of her family. She fled home. This was when she was a mere young girl, in grade 10. Transgender actors and actresses are now starting to get the opportunities they deserve, but more work definitely has to be done before everything is truly equal. That starts with unraveling the stereotypes of transgender people that are portrayed through Bollywood.
All in all, India still has a long way to go before our people can truly be considered “equal” on every level as a society. The main problem is the fear of the “unknown” that most people cling to. People will always be afraid and wary of anything or anyone that is different from them. In order to get somewhere, people need to be exposed to everything, and this includes the LGBTQ+ community, different cultures, and just different people in general. For this to be done, we can definitely turn to one of the biggest influences on the opinions of Indians: Bollywood
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