Still from the 2026 ‘Dorothy’, which tells the story of a transwoman’s self-discovery
First came dalit films by directors such as Vetrimaaran and Pa Ranjith, then we had movies such as ‘Habeebi’ (2026), which told the story of a small-town Muslim family. Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s ‘Super Deluxe’ (2019) fell into this trap. Today, there are more than 500 active trans activists in Tamil Nadu , says Jaya. How trans characters are shown in cinema Step back | Eeramana Rojave (1991) Hero and friends try to go to a movie with girls, but end up with transwomen. Slapstick comedy ensues Step forward | Kanchana (2011) A trans character is thrown out by her family, later, adopts a trans child and raises her to become a doctor Step back | I (2015) Osma, played by trans makeup artist Ojas Rajani, is infatuated with the hero, who humiliates her Step back | Darbar (2020) Rajinikanth’s character pays a group of trans women on a railway platform to sing while he beats up bad guys, reducing them to a tired stereotype Step forward | Neela Nira Sooriyan (2024) Trans filmmaker Samyuktha Vijayan plays a schoolteacher who identifies as a woman and transitions Dignity in a name In 2006, chief minister M Karunanidhi coined the terms ‘thirunangai’ (transwoman) and ‘thirunambi’ (transman), ‘thiru’- respectable; ‘nangai’ – woman and nambi – man. In 2008, the DMK govt established the Transgender Persons Welfare Board Govt schemes: Subsidized loans for self-help groups; free sewing machines; 1 reserved seat in govt colleges; pension for transwomen over 40; ARAN shelter; special clinic at RGGGH & dist govt hospitals You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chennai | Silver Rate in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Petrol Price in Chennai | Diesel Price in Chennai | CNG Price in Chennai | LPG Price in Chennai Stay updated with the latest Chennai news.
Karthik Subbaraj ’s ‘Dorothy’, which released a couple of weeks ago, has disrupted this pattern by centering a transwoman’s self-discovery, and ends with her finding love.
Kombai Anwar, an academic and filmmaker, says, “TN and Kerala govts have made efforts to improve the lives of marginalised communities. They have been kept in suffering, in a state of dependency on the mercy of others,” says Agni Pradeep, a transwoman writer. But the former is still not accepted by society,” says Jaya, general manager of Sahodaran, a city-based NGO for transpeople. Though the Dravidian govts brought many schemes to improve the lives of transpeople, without acceptance from people in the education and employment sectors, they cannot “stay on the path to a better life”, Jaya says. This is where positive representation in films matters,” she says. “We have come a long way since the infamous ‘Oororam Puliyamaram’ number in ‘Paruthiveeran’ (2007), where a group of transwomen dance to a folk song signalling sexual vulnerability among a group of drunken men,” says Kombai. More than being portrayed as minstrels or ‘ardhanariswara’ or fortune tellers, we want to be accepted as people first,” says N Jency, the first transwoman in the state to get a PhD, and lecturer at Quaid-E-Millath Government College For Women, Chennai.
This sea change reflects the elevation that the trans community has achieved in society over the years. Parallelly, cinema has evolved to represent them better. And now, we have ‘Dorothy’. Director Subbaraj gives his leading woman grace and dignity in grief, hardship and threat to life. She comes out as trans to her family men who habitually kill off the women for refusing to toe the line, wears her identity proudly and walks her path fearlessly. “Sovereignty, the ability to make one’s own decisions, has been denied to trans characters in films. Vijay Sethupathi’s Shilpa returns home after gender-affirming surgery and is left to grapple with sexual violation, social stigma and anxiety as she attempts to reintegrate into the system. “Supreme Court has ruled that a transwoman can marry either a straight man or a transman. This is echoed in the backlash that ‘Dorothy’ has received from a section of the audience that does not accept trans identity. “You wouldn’t see as many in other states. They help members of the community access opportunities, get documentation and solve legal issues. “Even simple things like finding a house on rent is an uphill battle for transwomen, as not all people consider us ‘normal’. The song became a pop culture reference for years thereafter. “We just want to be seen as regular people with regular lives. One step forward, two steps back? Download the TOI App.
The intention was to remove stigma that came from words previously used to refer to them such as ‘aravani’. Today, the term is shortened to ‘thirunar’ to refer to a transperson of either orientation The shift in nomenclature led to a gradual social elevation that brought them ID cards, voting rights and access to govt schemes.
From ‘Eeramana Rojave’ (1991) to ‘Darbar’ (2020), movies reduced them to tired tropes, letting them exist only as objects of pity and ridicule. For a long time in Tamil cinema, transgender people were denied their humanity. They were called slurs such as ‘ajak’ and ‘ombodhu’ and used as plot devices to underline male superiority. When a transgender character enters the scene in a Tamil movie, the audience knows what to expect: They would clap loudly, speak in a sarcastic tone, often in innuendo. If the script is kind, they would bless the protagonist and walk away. If not, they would get humiliated.