Vikas Khanna Takes A Stand Against The Problematic Casting Of Transgender In Indian Cinema

Celebrated Chef Vikas Khanna has recently delved into film making with his first feature film, The Last Color. The film portrays a trans character for which Khanna has stressed on casting a transgender for the role rather than dressing a male star in a saree.

Indian Cinema, time and again, casts men to play the third gender. Be it Ashutosh Rana’s character in Sangharsh to Akshay Kumar in Laxmii, the trans community has often been showcased in a bad light adhering to stereotypes.

Khanna, on the other hand, wants to break this. The chef rather waited until he found a transgender to play the role in his directorial feature.

Prior to this, Khanna shared an elaborate post on his Instagram handle informing his fans about casting Rudrani Chettri, a transgender activist, who founded India’s first transgender modeling agency in 2015. She plays the protagonist Chhoti’s friend and protector ‘Anarkali’ in The Last Color.

“I sometimes field questions about my choice of casting RUDRANI @rudrani786 – an Indian hijra (transgender) in the film. Rudrani, an activist who also runs India’s first transgender modeling agency plays Chhoti’s friend and protector ‘Anarkali’ in The Last Color,” he wrote.

Explaining why he wouldn’t like to dress a male actor in a saree for the role, Khanna wrote that he wished to allow the gender to find its place on the silver screen. He was very much affected by Ashok, a Hijra, from Banaras who showed him the depth of the community.

“To me, such a decision seemed contrived and I recalled how people of color or certain castes or cultures or sexes have historically been disallowed from portraying their own in films. Hence, while I was developing The Last Color screenplay, it was my good fortune to meet Ashok Ji. Ashok is a hijra I met while doing research along the Banaras riverbank. In fact, she lived there.”

“What awed me about Ashok was her sheer courage in protecting street kids from predators, sleepless morning to sleepless night—basically risking her life. The care this already vulnerable member of society showed for these even more vulnerable members of society made her a true mother goddess to them, and to me. I get so emotional just writing about her. Such inspiration and feeling compelled me to cast a hijra in the hijra role,” he shared.

At the same time, Khanna also praised Rudrani’s true nature and acting on screen.

“When I had the pleasure of meeting Rudrani during auditions, I was equally moved by this miracle child and voice-of-the-silenced-souls’ social activism, fearless energy, and eagerness to contribute. Like Ashok did with her flock of at-risk kids on the banks of Ganga, Rudrani serves as Chhoti’s caretaker, guide, and protector. In film and in life, although Rudrani has been the victim of social injustices, though her courage remains unflagging till the end, and I simply loved Rudrani’s on-screen portrayal.”

He then reasoned about his decision saying that making a man dress as a transgender is unethical.

Previously, Amazon Prime Video’s Award-Winning Series – Paatal Lok had also cast Manipur’s Mairembam Ronaldo Singh, a transgender in real life.