Does mainstream Kollywood have ‘Pride’?

Pride Month is well and truly upon us, and now is a good time to reflect upon the depiction of LGBTQIA+ culture in Tamil cinema

Vijay Sethupathi as Shilpa in ‘Super Deluxe’

For years, homophobia and transphobia have been prevalent themes in Kollywood, with gay/ trans characters either subjected to mockery or portrayal in a negative light. However, that's been changing. A recent film that highlights the extent of this change is Super Deluxe , in which Vijay Sethupathy plays the role of a transwoman.

Here is a list of Kollywood movies over the years that enabled this change:

Appu

As one of the most versatile actors in the country, it's no surprise that Prakash Raj was among the first to play a transgender in this film that released nearly 20 years ago. Appu (starring Prashanth and Devayani) featured the actor in a role with grey shades as the transgender Maharani who runs a brothel, all fearsome looks and grimaces with murderous intent.

Though Prakash Raj was at his belligerent best, his role was received with criticism from the transgender community. The actor himself has since said that it was

‘insensitive’ to play the role. Still, it is to be noted that he took on this role two decades ago.

Muni 2: Kaanchana

Raghava Lawrence and Sarath Kumar conceptualised this role that was seen by the LGBTQI+ community in Tamil Nadu as being a ground-breaking attempt to help their cause. Though the overall franchise falls under the larger theme of ‘horror-comedy’, the arc of the transgender in this 2011 movie who is unfairly wronged and murdered, struck a chord with many and sensitised the audience to their plight. Lawrence was heralded as an icon, which propelled him to make a series of successful sequels .

En Magan Magizhvan

An indie movie that has created a lot of buzz for its tactful portrayal, En Magan Magizhvan (My Son is Gay) won the Best Film Award at the Second Indian World Film Festival-2018 (IWFF-18) that was held in Hyderabad. Directed and produced by Lokesh Rajavel, the film was awarded a U/A certificate, and is about a son coming out of the closet to his mother.

Starring the likes of Abishek George, Anupama Kumar, Kishore and others, it made its international premiere at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in August 2017. However, audiences still await the release of the film in theatres.

Aruvi

Transwoman Anjali Varadhan played the character of Emily in the celebrated 2017 sociopolitical drama Aruvi , as a friend traversing along with the titular character after being infected with HIV. The film normalises Emily’s gender, treating her like any other important supporting character, and more importantly giving her prominent screen space and dialogues. The film’s success was extremely important in giving gay, lesbian and trans actors hope that they can make it in the Tamil industry beyond being just stereotypical props.

Super Deluxe

This Thiagarajan Kumararaja venture featured Vijay Sethupathi as a transwoman who yearns to spend time with her son and reintegrate with the family. Amongst its multiple narratives and themes, Super Deluxe also scored with Sethupathi's unnerving portrayal of Shilpa. Sethupathi and Kumararaja succeeded where others like Vikram (as Love in Iru Mugan ) failed earlier.