Progress is impossible without change and those who are willing to change their minds can change anything. In India, transgenders have been given the status of ‘third gender’ and are protected as per the law despite social ostracism. In such a scenario, Lokesh Rakesh, a young artist and a final year student from SRM University who aims to be a successful director and actor, talks about his experience of playing the role of a transgender in the short film, Nakusha. The film, giving us a little glimpse into the life of a transgender, was screened at the Russian Cultural Center, a platform for upcoming film-makers. Belonging to a middle-class family, 20-year-old Lokesh dreams high and hopes to change the perception of people through his films.
Tell us about your role as a transgender and the challenges you faced?
In Nakusha, I played the role of a transgender. Nakusha means ‘the unwanted’ in Russian. This film was directed by my friend Imraan. It was very challenging for me to do this role. I had been growing a beard for months and I had to shave it off completely. Moreover, I had to dress like a lady and put makeup on. But being a director and an actor, I believe that I should be ready to play any role that approaches me.
What inspired you to play the role? What research had you done beforehand?
I met a transgender at the Tambaram railway station. Her journey from Kalyan to Kalyani has been exemplary. She told me how awkward she felt when people exchanged looks as she passed by. Kalyani has a little boy who has been adopted. Even if I can change a slight perception of what people think about transgenders, it will mean a great deal to me.
Are your movies fictional or based on personal life? Have you faced any obstacles while shooting?
According to me, cinema is a place where I can portray my ideas visually and I would want my audience to believe in what I show them. A majority of my stories are related to my personal life. Lakshna was about my friend’s love story. My third film, which was a telefilm, Sahaana, was my dream project and I worked on it for over 8 months. It is based on the psychoanalytic theory. We faced a lot of obstacles during our shoot. There was an incident while we were shooting for the movie when we were caught by forest officials and we had to stop the shoot. We were asked to delete the entire footage.
How do you manage time?
Films is my passion, and as for managing time, I bunk college and work on my projects.