The support for the transgender community from mainstream Tamil artistes has, so far been negligible. But, now, filmmaker Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi has released a music video, titled Sadhayai Meeri, which talks about the struggle of people who identify as transgender, right from their childhood. The song is composed by Santhosh Narayanan and Vivek has penned the lyrics.
The specialty of this video is that it has a story which chronicles the life of a trans person through a song. Shot in prime locations in the city, the project features 12 transgender people. Speaking to DC, director Kiruthiga says, “When we collaborated with Cheer Organisation, which has been working for years together for the welfare of the transgender community, we decided to make a short video. Only after interacting with the trans women, could I understand their plight and conclude that they are the worst affected. So, we decided to make a music video instead! All those who have worked on the project, worked on a good-will basis.”
Katrina, who plays one of the lead roles in the video, is all praise for the director. “We thought she would behave in a certain way as she is from the film industry. But, she was very friendly and she grew close to us in those four days that we shot. To think that the video was made for a good cause, I feel extremely happy. I never thought that I would see my childhood dream fulfilled. She sat with us and learnt about our background and why we had to live the way we did,” explains Katrina.
The 21-year-old woman states that the video revolves around a true incident where the parents abandon a child when they get to know about the child’s sexual orientation. After constant humiliation, the woman decides to sacrifice her life.
The Vanakkam Chennai filmmaker has only good things to say about the actors in the video — “They are all first-time actors and they were quick to grasp the instructions given. They are extremely intelligent and humorous as well,” she quips. The motive of this video was to treat the transgender people as fellow human beings. “Through the video, we are trying to say that we are partly responsible for the status of trans people in the society. It is a vicious circle! We should learn to empathise with them so that they will be treated in a better manner. If we look at the way we are treating them, it hurts our conscience. How can a person be cruel to a fellow human being? It is high time we amend our ways and be courteous to one another. On a humanitarian basis, it is imperative that they are treated as equals and are presented with good opportunities in life,” elaborates Kiruthiga.
Echoing the same thoughts, lyricist Vivek explains, “I had written a poem titled Vanavil Manidhargal on the life of the trans community. When I heard their stories, I felt disturbed. That is the feeling that I brought into this music video. I wanted my lines to question the behaviour of human beings and also to make them understand. All of us worked with so much sincerity and wanted our work to benefit at least one person. The song ends with the line, ‘Avargal Paalai Avargal Sollatum, Naam Sarkarai Mattum Kalappom (Let them decide their orientation, let us add sweetness to their life). Santhosh worked with passion and created a magical tune. When I listened to the song, it made me feel empathetic.” The video is being launched today and will be screened across several TV channels and theatres.
