NATURE CHOOSES; MAN ABUSES
Taking a leaf out of Martin Luther
King Jr.’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, the British actor and author, Juno Dawson
said: “I dare to dream of a world where people can dress, speak and behave
how they want, free from mockery, derision, judgment, harassment and danger.”
Extremely touching and insightful words!
The
drama― it is a tribute to every oppressed, marginalized and under-privileged
section of society― is about the everyday
struggles of transsexuals. It showcases the life of a young boy, who cherishes
his feminine traits and aspires to lead the life of a woman.
Madesha
(Sanchari Vijay) is a tween living in a small town, who exhibits effeminate
behavior. Bullied in school and often blasted at home, the confused kid is
unable to come to terms with his sexual preference. He falls behind in his
studies and moves to Bengaluru. But, homosexuality makes it tough for him to
cope with a bigoted and discriminatory society.
In short,
peace, tranquility and happiness elude Madesha, who confronts an existential
crisis. He sheds the outer falsehood of his masculinity and embraces the inner
truth of his genetic proclivity to become a transgender.
After
getting his male gonads removed surgically in a shady, unhygienic clinic,
Madesha gets rechristened as Vidya. The stigma though follows her; and, to
survive, Vidya resorts to begging. However, she desists from getting into the
flesh trade.
The rest
of the flick traces the travails and troubles of Vidya, the transsexual. The
narrative is about whether society, and, in particular, the family accepts the
metamorphosed Madesha, or rather, Vidya.
Director
BS Lingadevaru has given us some gut-wrenching, heartrending insights into the
gloomy, appalling world of transsexuals and transvestites with this parallel
cinema par excellence.
Lingadevaru’s script and screenplay has the look and feel of a documentary in some
sequences though; it is slow too in picking up tempo. Fortunately, he does
not overwhelm you with either a maudlin tale or mawkish dialogues. The clinical,
no-frills story has soul and intent in the right place.
Music of
Anoop Seelin is apposite. The cinematography and other technical elements are pedestrian―
a consequence perhaps of a tight budget.
Sanchari
Vijay is at his sublime best with a remarkably natural rendition
that is rich in reality and awash with authenticity. The rest of the cast
comprising of Sumithra, Kunal Punekar, Sundar, Aravind Kuplikar and others has
also put in creditworthy performances.
The flick is an attempt to remind
us, in Juno Dawson’s words: “…whoever you are, however you are; you are
equally valid, equally justified, and equally beautiful”.
I rate this social drama: 7.5 on 10!
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