A group of transgenders protested on Monday against what they claimed was a humiliating portrayal of the transgender community in the recently-released I , directed by Shankar.
The protestors gathered in front of the regional censor board office inside Shashtri Bhavan in Nungambakkam and demanded an unconditional apology from filmmaker Shankar, actor Vikram and comedian Santhanam for negative portrayal of the transgender character. They also demanded the removal of certain ‘objectionable’ scenes.
The group met the regional officer of the Censor Board, V. Packirisamy, to convey their objections.
They also vowed to intensify their agitation if their demands were not met.
Banu, who is part of the ‘Transwomen and Transmen Rights Group’, said that they would continue the protests until an apology is tendered by the filmmakers.
Offensive scenes
With the film having been released in so many screens, the protestors seemed to agree that banning the film might not be an option.
However, they said that certain scenes – where actors Vikram and Santhanam dance and sing around the transgender character and where the transgender suggestively eats a sausage – deserve to be removed.
“Indians are not taught about transgender people as part of their education and get most of their information from movies. Whenever movies portray us negatively, the reaction is instant. When Ameer’s Paruthiveeran came out, I recall being harassed by a man who sang Oororam Puliyamaram before throwing a water packet on my face. It’s a pity that a filmmaker who is so aware of the latest technology in film-making is so insensitive when it comes to representation of transgender people in his movies,” said ‘Living Smile’ Vidya, a transgender and a theatre actor.
One of the protesting women said that Tamil movies have been consistently demeaning the LGBT community and suggested that a member from the community be part of the Censor Board so that such portrayals do not recur.
“This will ensure that members of the LGBT community are not humiliated in popular culture,” she said.
