Picture Perfect
THE WEEK|January 07, 2018

Anjali Ameer will soon be the first transgender heroine of a south Indian movie

Anjuly Mathai
Picture Perfect

As the camera is being set up, Anjali Ameer drums her fingers on the chair, looking bored. Wearing a black jump-suit with her hair falling in soft folds about her, she looks stunning. Then, it’s time for action and the transformation in the 23-year-old transgender actor is fabulous. The bored look vanishes, she throws her head back, pouts and arches her body. One feels like letting out a low whistle at the effortless poise with which she strikes various poses.

When I go to the makeup room as she gets ready for the second phase of the photo shoot, I watch the hairstylist pile up her hair and pin it on one side in the way Malayalam heroines of old used to. Ameer is dissatisfied. “This is very ordinary,” she whines. Yet, she says it mildly and later, decides to go with it. I’m reminded that this is no star that I’m talking to. This is someone who has been through a lot and is still getting accustomed to being in the limelight.

This story is from the January 07, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 07, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE WEEKView All
BIOPIC AND BEYOND
THE WEEK India

BIOPIC AND BEYOND

Randeep Hooda may have proved his acting credentials with biopics, but typecast him at your own peril

time-read
4 mins  |
April 28, 2024
Flutter of flimsy wings
THE WEEK India

Flutter of flimsy wings

Butterfly Research Centre in Bhimtal boasts 3,500 butterfly and moth specimens

time-read
2 mins  |
April 28, 2024
SIMILAR STATES, DIFFERENT BATTLES
THE WEEK India

SIMILAR STATES, DIFFERENT BATTLES

The Congress seems to have the edge in Telangana while in Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu and Jagan Mohan Reddy are locked in a bitter battle

time-read
10 mins  |
April 28, 2024
A RIDE TO REMEMBER
THE WEEK India

A RIDE TO REMEMBER

On board Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s bus as he was attacked

time-read
5 mins  |
April 28, 2024
Winning 14 of 17 seats is my target
THE WEEK India

Winning 14 of 17 seats is my target

Anumula Revanth Reddy is on a mission to demonstrate a democratic and egalitarian facet of power and leadership.

time-read
6 mins  |
April 28, 2024
LOTUS TAKES ROOT
THE WEEK India

LOTUS TAKES ROOT

Buoyed by its slowly growing acceptance among the voters in Tamil Nadu, the BJP is mounting its fiercest offensive ever

time-read
4 mins  |
April 28, 2024
BLANK CHECK
THE WEEK India

BLANK CHECK

Several factors favour an increase in the BJP’s vote share in Kerala, but whether the party can win a seat remains uncertain

time-read
5 mins  |
April 28, 2024
CONGRESS HAS A HISTORY OF MAKING ADJUSTMENTS WITH COMMUNAL FORCES
THE WEEK India

CONGRESS HAS A HISTORY OF MAKING ADJUSTMENTS WITH COMMUNAL FORCES

In April 2021, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was leading the CPI(M)’s assembly poll campaign to win a second consecutive term, a spirited debate erupted in Kerala over an epithet that party workers had bestowed on him.

time-read
6 mins  |
April 28, 2024
POLL PLOT
THE WEEK India

POLL PLOT

Congress hopes its five guarantees’ will blunt BJP’s aggressive push

time-read
4 mins  |
April 28, 2024
MODI'S GUARANTEES REMAIN IN SPEECHES, MY GUARANTEES ARE FULFILLED
THE WEEK India

MODI'S GUARANTEES REMAIN IN SPEECHES, MY GUARANTEES ARE FULFILLED

The transformation is unmissable. The old-school mass leader Siddaramaiah has suddenly switched into the new avatar of a master strategist.

time-read
6 mins  |
April 28, 2024