Anjali Varadhan, a transwoman who plays a prominent role in the recently released Aruvi, did not expect to land the part when she went to the auditions. “Another transperson and I answered the casting call for the film. It was a pleasant surprise to actually get the role, and even more so to find that it was a role that would see me be present throughout the film.” She says she did not face any discrimination on the sets.
“Everyone was friendly with me and did not treat me differently because of my gender.” Not having acted before, she did struggle a little with the process. “I am not a natural actor, but the director was encouraging and gave me ample time to practise.” Anjali felt her character Emily was quite different even at a narrative stage because “transgender people are usually portrayed in comic roles or shown in bad light. But that’s not the case in Aruvi. The story is the journey of two people (Emily and the protagonist Aruvi) who share their joys and sorrows. It is not about their genders.” She adds that though the film is agnostic to her character’s gender, it is a significant film as transgender people have never been given a prominent role in a film before. “I will definitely act in more films if such chances come by,” she says.