WHAT SIRAT DID FOR ACCEPTANCE

IN 2014, the apex court of India declared transgender as the third gender, whose members could self-identify their gender and enjoy fundamental rights.

- ISHITA ROY

This landmark judgment, although it changed things on paper, has not fundamentally changed societal perception of transgenders. This is reflected in the family relationship shown in a Deepa Mehta film. How does a mother come to terms with her son who has discovered her identity as a woman? This is the storyline of the 90-minute documentary I Am Sirat.

Directed by the Oscar-nominated film director and screenwriter Deepa Mehta and the star of the film Sirat Taneja, a transgender woman actor, the film explores the dual life of Sirat, who must act like a son while at home with her mother while being herself outside.

The film is shot using mobilephone cameras. Sirat handles the self-documentation with vertical shots on her mobile, while Mehta films the horizontal shots, primarily in the form of interviews, on hers.

“I met Sirat in 2018 while shooting for the Netflix series Leila in which she played a transgender guard. We stayed in touch, and she told me she wanted a film made about her life to convince her mother to accept her as a daughter. That’s why I agreed to do this,” says Mehta.

Passing the mic