Filmmaker explores ways of transgenders

The Introduction of the documentary explores the dangerous reality of living as a Hijra in modern India. The protagonist spent her childhood in Lusaka and then London, where tales of India were exotic and distant. “Growing up, family tales regarded Hijras as untouchable, a notion that was attributed to lack of worldly education and fear of the unknown”, Almass explains. Almass came down to Bengaluru in July for a couple of months to shoot the documentary. She intended to come down to the city again and hold a screening of the film. Explaining why she chose Bengaluru, she said, “I felt a connection with the city and also I wanted to explore the world of hijras in south India.”

Many British Indians clung to the idealized recollections of their homeland, painting a flawless image of India- tactfully dropping the less desirable memories. “The liberating and progressive attitude towards homosexuality and the transgender community are widely observed as a Western mindset, but it is much more complex than that”, says the director.

She says, “My idea of being Indian was that any way other than heterosexual and married was wrong, yet there I was, in the middle of a discussion with twenty gay and trans Indian men discussing how best to hand out LGBTQ safe sex leaflets to the public. I even found myself talking to elderly Indian women who were happily unmarried...and never intended to change”.

She continues, “Gender fluidity in India is very much visible and part of a number of traditions. The Hijras are constantly on the fence - respected by many and detested by many too. As my own perceptions were challenged, Bengaluru’s Hijra community uncovered a multifaceted meaning to human suffering”. Born in London, Almass spent her early childhood in Central Africa, where she discovered her passion for culture, nature and the Arts. The documentary will be soon screened in London and then make its way to India.