Tamil cinema has always gloried machismo through its larger than life heroes and shunned anything that is remotely feminine. Until now gender minority characters are used either as an element of ridicule or as monsters.  Likes of I and Aruvi have followed the tried and tested method of using blatant transphobic jokes to bring out laughter in theaters.

Pariyerum Perumal, in this context, is different from most of its predecessors. Puliyagulam Selvaraj, father of Pariyan, the protagonist, is a folk dancer who performs in drag. The movie presents a gender non-conforming character with significant importance in a positive shade, a huge step forward from clichéd psychopaths, sidekicks and street clowns.

Finally, a movie which is trying to create a dialogue against deep-rooted casteism in the society is also talking about gender minorities. This is a progressive move to create a unified voice against all forms of oppression. Though the intention behind the character is clearly a welcoming one, the portrayal and presentation of it are debatable and need to be looked upon critically.

The primary reason that this calls for a debate is the gender identity of Selvaraj, Pariyan’s father. The director has used elements such as pity, sympathy, pain, innocence and affection to humanize Selvaraj, but has made no attempt to examine the gender identity of the character. The audience members are left to interpret the gender identity of Selvaraj. It would be fair to assume that most would have perceived the person as a trans woman. Such assumptions are unhealthy. A basic thumb rule in any gender-sensitive environment is to never assume a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation.  Unless an individual unambiguously expresses that they are transgender, they cannot be perceived as one. Going by this, Selvaraj can only be considered as a loving father who transgresses gender norms.  Feminine mannerisms and performing in drag alone are not enough to qualify someone as transgender.  To assume feminine men are trans women will only validate the notion of gender stereotypes and fall into the cliché of glorifying toxic masculinity.

It has been an unwritten rule in Kollywood that the moment film makers decide to cast trans feminine or non-binary characters they have to think of scenes to use terms like pottai and the number nine.  Almost everyone from the Tamil queer communities would have faced these abusive terms, and movies play a huge role in legitimizing them. The obsession is such that in Movie I, the character Osma is admitted to room No 9 in hospital.

Pariyerum Perumal also has a scene where these terms are used against Selvaraj to abuse and bully them. Unlike its predecessors, the movie tries to reverse the abuse and attempts to show the damage created by these abusive terms and how they are always used by people with power. The terms here are not used by hero or comedian to ridicule and laugh at Selvaraj: they are used by the casteist thugs to abuse and bully an elderly person as an act of transphobia and caste based discrimination.  The scene brilliantly portrays pain and violence inflicted upon gender minority people. Especially with the gruesome act that follows, it sends a clear message on how verbal and physical abuse go hand in hand and why both need to be addressed.

Though some of us from the community did not find this particular scene to be offensive, a few others did and wanted the words to be muted. This moment presents an opportunity for gender minority communities to discuss and debate on how we want to approach mainstream cinema. Do we demand the banning offensive terms for good, or or do we look at the context and go case by case.  Do we really think we can erase the words from vocabulary of cis gender people by censoring the movies?

Finally, the part where Selvaraj is attacked, stripped, molested and chased away. The part that made me shiver, cringe and find it very hard to sit through. Though reality is not much different for gender minority people from working class and oppressed caste sections of society, the aftermath scenes as shown in the movie need to be scrutinized.  After such gruesome violence, the movie shows no action against the criminals. No legal action is taken; the police are nowhere to be seen. Pariyan is shown to be in anger and ready to go on a violent spree to avenge his father, but her mother intervenes and normalizes the violence, as it is not the first time his father has been abused.   In a society where gender minority people face sexual violence from all quarters, the last thing we need is for the victims to normalize rape and violence. What is the takeaway for mainstream audience if a progressive film normalizes sexual violence?

Interestingly, the film is censored to be suitable for all audience with “U” certificate. This brings out the question: do we even consider the gruesome act against Selvaraj as sexual violence? Or do we only consider it so if it is performed against a female body? How easy it is to erase atrocities committed against non-female bodies in Indian society!

To conclude, Pariyerum Perumal is an honest attempt to humanize gender non-conforming individuals.  In spite of its flaws, the movie will appeal to mainstream heteronormative audiences, and perhaps contribute to creating an inclusive society.

On the evening of Friday, March 2, 2018, Coimbatore saw the public screening of ‘Ladies and Gentlewomen’, a Tamil documentary film. Directed by Malini Jeevarathnam and  produced by Pa. Ranjith’s Neelam Productions, ‘Ladies and Gentlewomen’ is the first effort in the history of Tamil cinema to break the silence around the dynamics and body politics of lesbian relationships, which are often socially stigmatised. Also screened were ‘En Aasai En Kanavu’ and ‘Won’t the Real Transformers please stand up?’, two short films on the lives of transmen and transwomen.

These screenings were organised by Queerbatore, a collective formed in 2015 by a few individuals who were part of the Orinam mailing list and network. Queerbatore is now an active WhatsApp group and offline space for people belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community who either live in Coimbatore or have a personal/professional association with the city.

The event commenced with a song rendered by Shyam, a volunteer of Queerbatore.

The song was followed by the screening of Malini’s film.

Post-screening, Vivek Kumaran gave an informative presentation on gender and sexuality to make the audience aware of LGBTQIA+ terminologies. Vivek also urged the audience to  be sensitive, respectful and accepting of persons with diverse identities and to address them by their preferred choice of pronouns.

This was followed by the panel discussion featuring Kalki Subramaniam, Selvam, Vinodhan,  Malini Jeevarathnam, Saurabh Masurkar, and Srijith Sundaram.

Representing the transwomen, transmen, intersex, lesbian, gay and ally communities, these panelists come from different walks of life. What they have in common is their extensive and passionate work for the welfare of the LGBTQIA+ community through their engagement with art, theatre, film, media, activism, advocacy and life.

The intention of this interaction between the panelists was primarily to make people within and outside the community aware of the diversity of identities that exist under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella. Kalki, Srijith, Malini, Selvam, Saurabh and Vinodhan passionately spoke of the challenges, breakthroughs and experiences in their personal and professional circles. The audience was also encouraged to accept whoever they feel they are and to live without the fear of anyone.

Most of all, this event was an Out and Loud call to people from all sections of the society to stand up and unite against oppression on the basis of sex, gender, caste, race, appearance, personal choices or, for that matter, violation of any human right. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

In the video excerpt below (courtesy Prasanth), Kalki speaks about gender stereotypes within the community, followed by a discussion with Srijith on queer history and intersectional activism.

Thanks to the Queerbatore volunteers who shared the images above.

On September 17, 2014, we organized ‘Kashish Forward’  in association with Kashish Mumbai International Queer Festival.  Three films were screened at the event: Crush Shake (by Jagruti Jethe), Kyunki (by Avinash Matta) and Mitraa (by Ravi Jadhav). Jagruti and Ravi attended the event and answered questions from the audience.

This event was open to all, from within and outside IIT B campus. It was extremely heartening to see a full house with a 350+ strong audience. The cherry on the cake was that many in the audience were non-queer members of the IITB campus who had come to understand queer people. This, in the true way, marks the success of this event. The questions ranged from being appreciative of Mitraa to questioning the “tone” of movies when portraying queer characters.

Overall, it was  a well-spent two-hour event and it will definitely help Saathi in its cause of fostering awareness about LGBTQ issues on campus.

More posts referencing Saathi are here. Also, check out Orinam’s list of LGBTQ campus groups in India, and our resources for educational institutions. Also, please let us know of other initiatives of this kind.

In this short film, Nakshatra uses curtains as a metaphor for the insecurity and fear many young LGBT people remain shrouded in, and suggests that the process of coming out can bring with it relief and freedom from many of these fears. Curtains premiered at Kashish: Mumbai International Queer Film Festival in May 2013.

Nakshatra Bagwe (born on December 11, 1990) is a Mumbai-based filmmaker and actor. His short films are a hit with young gay audiences, whose lives he depicts in his work. His award-winning debut, Logging Out, screened at Kashish 2012, as well as in Chennai, New York, and London. It was also a part of Queer India European tour 2012 to raise awareness about LGBT issues in the Indian context.

Read GaysiFamily’s interview with Nakshatra here.

Nakshatra believes in the power of emotions to help him connect with his viewers, and in the precedence of content over capital-intensive production. Further, in his own words, “I believe we need to reach out to that huge section of people who need to be made aware about homosexuality, and not just those who go to film festivals. My film-making is based on this principle; my films are and will always be easily available to ANYONE on this planet!”

In full support of Nakshatra’s philosophy, we at Orinam are pleased to bring you Curtains below:

A Hindi version of Curtains may be viewed here.

What happens when a bright student like Mihir discovers the sexuality of one of his big time crushes, his senior? Do all same-sex relationships last for just a few moments? Will this one go beyond?

Avinash Matta, a student of film direction at Ramoji Academy of Film and Television, resides in Hyderabad. He was in Chennai for the screening of his film as part of Reel Desires, Chennai International Queer Film Festival July 11-13, 2013. He also participated in a panel discussion ‘Film and Theatre for LGBT Rights and Social Change’ with other directors from film and theatre.

View Kuch Palon Mein below:

Introduction: Across India, ordinary people who are straight/cisgender allies, including friends, family, classmates, teachers and colleagues, are taking steps to enhance the quality of life of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans* or intersex (LGBTI) person/people in their lives.

These allies are united with us in the fight for equality. In this spirit, and in connection with the fifth year of Chennai Pride, we are delighted to launch Catalysts for Inclusion: The Orinam Ally Video Contest to explore the narratives of our allies who support the cause of LGBTI rights.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, then we want to see you in action! If you haven’t done this before, check out some basic tips on making a video here.

Theme of the contest: Allies supporting LGBT rights

Duration of the Video: A maximum of 5 (five) minutes

Categories: The videos may fall in one or more of the following categories –

➢ Stories of how you, as an individual, group of friends/colleagues, or family, responded to an LGBTI classmate, colleague or family member coming out, and/or helped create a safe space on campus, at your workplace or even at home

➢ Non-LGBTI organizations in India that have made a difference to lives of LGBTI people.

➢ Music, art, photography, poetry, and prose strung into a video that can inspire others to become allies.

Submission: You may submit your video as a password-protected downloadable file (avi, mov, mpg) via vimeo, dropbox or wetransfer. Alternately you can mail/courier us a CD/DVD. For the address or to send us your link, email chennaiintlqueerfilmfest@gmail.com In your mail, please mention ‘Orinam Ally Video Contest’

Language and subtitling: The dialogue, speech, text and/or lyrics may be in any Indian language, including English. We ask that you subtitle in English, as needed.

Who can apply: Straight/cisgender allies based primarily in India (or diaspora of Indian origin): you may be a classmate, friend, colleague, parent, sibling or other relative of a lesbian, gay, bi, trans* or intersex person

Last Date for Submission: On or before 6.00 pm (IST), Sunday, June 30, 2013.

Announcement of winning videos: A panel will review submissions and select a group of no more than six finalists. All will be featured at Reel Desires 2013, the Chennai International Queer Film Festival to be held July 11-13, 2013, and the audience will select the best. The winner and runners up will subsequently be posted on http://Orinam.net and http://Chennaiintlqueerfilmfest.blogspot.com. A cash prize will be awarded to the winner.

Have an idea? Not sure how to proceed?

Check out our blog post with resources and tips on video making. It is easy, we swear.

Information resources for filmmakers

Still have questions? Need help? We are here for you.
Feel free to contact us

My teachers were perplexed. It was a small town school and I was standing before them in the staff room. I had signed up for the newly announced Bharatanatyam classes and it happened that I was the only boy in the school to do so. The dance teacher is not a school staff and had agreed to come on Saturdays to teach. She definitely had reservations. Now, my teachers were trying to talk me out of it. Encouraged by the opposition, I showed more interest. My teachers were quietly talking among themselves and occasionally smiling at me until one of them said loudly: “Yen Kamal aadaliyaa?” (Why not? Kamal dances) and the discussion ended there. Kamal Hassan played the role of a multi-talented dancer, adept at the Indian classical dances of Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, etc. in his 1983 film, Salangai Oli, a role no other Tamil hero had played until then.

I had no idea what my teachers’ reservations were at that time, but looking back, I can guess what their discussion would have been, and the role Kamal may have played in their decision. I was allowed to join the dance class. The two classes I attended before dropping out are material enough for a hilarious series. I simply had no sense of music or rhythm and I was too stiff. My journey that took off because of Kamal ended because, as it turned out, my dancing skills were worse than those of Rajani.

Rajani and Kamal were established stars during my childhood.

Their era had begun even before I was born, therefore, I could be totally wrong in my reading of the famous Rajini-Kamal scene: Rajani charmed his fans with his style and mannerisms, Kamal was seen as the suave, soft guy. Kamal cried in his movies and in some, his heroines kissed him on the neck (necking) instead of him kissing them all the time. His characters were passionate, real and sometimes even vulnerable, behaviors that were not considered suitable for a hero in those days (Remember the Manasu Mayangum song from Sippikkul Muthu (1985), where he obediently learns lovemaking from Radhika?). Nonetheless, Kamal was a heartthrob for many women (and some men), even more popular than Rajani. Just as the emergence of Dravid earned respect for the defensive batsman in gully cricket, I imagine Kamal might have changed impressions of the soft guys, effeminate guys or guys who were into the fine arts back then. A friend of mine who was in college during the beginning of the Kamal-Rajani era said that there were two groups in every college, one supporting Rajani and one supporting Kamal. The groups often clashed with each other and abused the stars in a war of words. Kamal was often ridiculed for being a “pottai paiyan” (sissy boy).  His choice of roles in movies such as 16 Vayathinile (1977) could have been the reason for that. In that movie, Kamal played Chappani, a timid, undesirable and  “useless” man (impotency implied?). In his early days, Kamal was not considered very manly.  He had effeminate characteristics, yet he was a heartthrob.

During his hunky days, Kamal played the title role in the 1986 sci-fi thriller Vikram. His character was a spy from India who traveled to the faraway land Salamia to save the world. His Salamia tour guide Dubash (brilliantly played by Janakaraj) is one of the very few same-sex attracted characters in Tamil cinema’s history. In the story, Dubash has a crush on Vikram, which Vikram obviously ignores. Still the fact that there was such a character and that character was allowed to express himself is significant.

As years went by, Kamal did not shy away from roles such as the one he played in Avvai Shanmugi (1996). While other actors have donned female getup in movies, the portrayals were often meant to be funny and their intent was not to conceal the so called “manly mannerisms.” After all, Tamil cinema heros can’t completely give up their masculinity, can they? Kamal played the part with the utmost seriousness and sincerity and transformed himself into a woman on screen. He probably would have considered the comment “Apadiye maami mathiri irukaan” (I can’t believe that’s a man), a compliment.

Many, many years later, Vettaiyadu Vilayadu (2006) upset me for it’s portrayal of homosexual men. I have no problem with gay men being villains or psychopaths, but the homophobic sentiments displayed by the lead character (played by Kamal) at a time when the LGBT community was taking baby steps in Tamil Nadu was very disappointing. As Aniruddhan Vasudevan points out in his review, “It is very unfortunate that the first, open representation of homosexuality in Tamil movies had to happen that way.” Vettaiyadu Vilayadu will go down as one of Kamal’s mistakes and will be referenced and researched in the years to come.

I felt Kamal, who is generally a progressive thinker, owed more. He may have evolved however.  In a very small way, he gave a subtle nod to same-sex love in a recent Vijay TV show. Two girls chose and sang one of Kamal’s famous duets (simply for music reasons)

“ஒரே நாள் உன்னை நான் நிலாவில் பார்த்தது
உலாவும் உன் இளமைதான் ஊஞ்சலாடுது”

Kamal’s response:

டூயட் ரெண்டு பேர் பாடணும் , அது எந்த இருவர் என்றாலும் பராவில்லை!”
“A duet is meant for two people. The two can be any (gender)”

Is this Kamal’s view on homosexuality? I would like to think so. Nonetheless, this comment from someone as iconic as Kamal Haasan in a very popular family show should do the LGBT community a lot of good.

More recently, the plot of Kamal’s new movie, Vishwaroopam (2013)  offended some in the LGBT community. In the movie, the heroine, who rejects the hero (played by Kamal) because he is effeminate, later falls for him, when the hero reveals that he is a macho man in disguise. When I watched the movie, I wasn’t offended and my interpretation of that scene was very different. Even if the heroine fell ‘only’ for the macho behavior of the character, I see no wrong there. I view it as a matter of personal choice.

Peter Roebuck put it so well when he was writing about Sachin Tendulkar, India’s legendary cricketer: “Inevitably mistakes have been made. Something about a car, something else about a cricket ball and suggestions that he had stretched the facts to assist his pal Harbhajan Singh. But then he is no secular saint. It’s enough that he is expected to bat better than anyone else. It’s hardly fair to ask him to match Mother Teresa as well.” May be the same sentiment could be applied to Kamal Hassan too. He might have done some offensive scenes and roles, but his career conveys a bigger message: A Tamil cinema hero doesn’t have to constantly play typical masculine characters. He can break gender conventions and still win the hearts of women of an entire generation.

Update Feb 2014: Kamal Hassan makes a reference to IPC 377 while discussing culture, traditions and moral policing

One would have expected that all that warning from my queer friends about Vettaiyadu Vilayadu would have braced me up for the actual encounter with the movie. Well, clearly not. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have felt as horrible as I felt in the theater yesterday and wouldn’t have come out as disturbed as I did. I never knew I was so slow on the intake.

It is very unfortunate that the first, open representation or discussion of homosexuality in Tamil movies should happen this way. In the first place, the two men being ‘accused’ of being homosexuals are psychopaths-serial killers who rape and murder women in most gruesome ways and are very expressive of their sexual desires towards women (“enakku ava venum” (“I want her”) sort of dialogues). I do not get this. If I am being dense, someone clarify this incongruence to me.

The whole idea of getting these two men raped by a transsexual (male to female) is horrific and grossly insensitive. Of course, Raghavan (Kamal’s character) later mildly chastises the police officer responsible for this. That does little to set right the damage that they have done to the image of Aravanis.

Let me make my position clear. I am not saying that a gay man can never be a psychopath or vice versa. I am not saying there might be no sex-worker Aravani who ends up having to please policemen or other powerful clients of hers. My objection and protest can be put this way:

• If there already were enough or adequate affirmative portrayals of queer people in Tamil movies, I might choose to ignore this. In the absence of any representation at all, such abominably negative representation is not welcome. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ANY REPRESENTATION IS BETTER THAN NO REPRESENTATION.

• There is a clear danger of uninformed people beginning to see the representation of these two characters as types – as homosexuality and psychological disorder as being inextricably linked.

As a student of literature and as a performer, I understand that character representations largely fall into two kinds: individualized personas and, what we call, types. In the first kind, the character, the mannerisms, the entire personality come through as one unique individual who does not bring to mind someone we have met in flesh and blood or in a book, play, film etc. In the second kind, the types, the character can be abstracted into something that represents a type of individual. It enables us to relate him/her to someone else. Of course, the boundaries between these two keep blurring. That is what makes writing, acting, directing, performing and even reading challenging. There is a danger that these two villain characters in this movie become types. I will not be surprised (but definitely hurt and upset) if the names “Ila” and “Amudhan” acquire homophobic references in popular Tamil college lingo. If “Chiyaan” can happen, this too can happen.

• To show the villains as homosexuals is not necessary for this movie’s plot. It’s been put there to pander to the insensitive, homophobic galleries and just so that those sick dialogues can be used. Good art will not have anything superfluous. Chee! Silly me! I am talking about Kollywood! Sorry!

Of course, Tamil cinema has a general record (for people who notice it, that is) of trafficking in astoundingly abysmal portrayal of women. This movie is no exception. In Kamal Hassan’s movies, women as a rule, are little more than sex objects. But even when the Raghavan (Kamal) – Aaradhana (Jyothika) relationship is shown as blossoming as a mutually-respectful good friendship from the beginning, it is not devoid of patriarchal ideas of possessing and protecting women – (“Neeyum Maayavum en sotthu” – “You and Maya (the child) are my possessions, property”). Also, totally uncalled for, abusive references to “Ungamma…” (“Your mother….”) while talking to the villains. There were so many such utterances that I saved in my mobile phone!

And friends who think I am overreacting, No, I am not. I am only reacting to something that needs to be reacted to.

In Tamil: வேட்டைக் களமல்ல, விளையாட்டுப் பொருளல்ல