Bollywood movie highlights struggles of transgender Indians
Transgender Indians are one of the country’s marginalized communities that often face abuses, ridicule and a denial of basic human rights.
Although the Hindi film industry, often known as Bollywood, releases more than 1,000 movies every year, it has not made many movies to depict the pain of the trans community, which is generally considered taboo in the country. “Safed” — a Bollywood movie that means “white” in Hindi — last month created a buzz in India and around the world.
The movie featured trans people and a widow, both of whom are ostracized in the country. The film’s story depicts a lonely, abandoned trans person and a widow who finds solace in each other.
Indian Bollywood actresses Meera Chopra and Abhay Verma starred in the film and successfully depicted the discriminatory behavior in society against trans people and widows. “Everyone wants to make a film that appeases masses, shows everything in a positive way with a happy ending, but making films like ‘Safed,’ which portrays the dark side of the society, is courageous,” said Barkha Bisht, the Indian actress who played the part of Radha, a trans person in the film. “People are saying that we have done this movie for the love of the people, but I do not agree with that, we did it for a reality check to people.
