I AM REVATHI, I AM RESILIENCE

Writer and activist A Revathi, the central figure of the documentary ‘I am Revathi’, opens up about her life, her identity and society’s apathy towards trans existence

- THREYAMBKA A B

N a quiet evening at the 17th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), the screen came alive with a voice that refused to be silenced, a personhood that resisted invisibilisation.

“I am Revathi”, the protagonist proudly declares in P Abhijith’s documentary — it has English subtitles — of the same name. At first glance, it is just an ordinary statement. However, as the story unfolds, these words swell with defiance, vulnerability, and dignity — the weight of a lifetime carried in a single line.

For A Revathi, a transwoman from Tamil Nadu, who has weathered rejection, violence, and endless questions on her existence, the act of naming herself is a matter of survival. Sitting down with CE, she says: “When I say I am Revathi, I am telling the world that I exist. They cannot erase me, no matter how hard they try.”

The documentary captures her journey with a rawness that lingers long after the credits roll. But Revathi insists this is not just a film about her — it is a mirror held up to society. “People think they know us, but they only know the stereotypes. My story is not only mine — it is the story of thousands who are never heard.”