New Indian Movie on the Third Gender

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Movie on third gender just happened: Sivan

Director Santosh Sivan, whose film “Navarasa” on third gender released Friday, hopes youngsters will now look at this fringe community very differently.
“‘Navarasa’ just happened,” Sivan told the media. “Everyone has a different level of third gender clause.”

After seeing the film, “we hope that the young will look at them (third gender) very differently”, Sivan added.

Santosh Sivan: Why I made Navarasa

Did the story just evolve while shooting?

All I had was a storyline. I didn’t know who my main character would be. But shooting a film like that was not new to me. Even the first film I shot in Arunachal Pradesh had no script. I just went there and made a film.

I had a simple story, but not conventional. It is about a modern, urban 13-year old girl (Sweta). When she has her first period, there is a big traditional function at home. Her grandmother digs out some of her old ornaments and gifts them to her. But it is her uncle who is fascinated by the ornaments and steals them at night. The girl is shocked to find this out, and follows him. Soon, she sees her uncle dressed like a woman with the ornaments round his neck. She goes inside and asks, who are you, my uncle or aunt? And he begins narrating the story of Aravan