BHUBANESWAR: After several years of flop remakes, Ollywood is slowly getting back into the spotlight. Reinventing itself with original content and high quality production, the regional film industry is garnering both national and international praise. The latest film in the list is ‘T’.
Being the directorial debut of Jitesh Kumar Parida in Ollywood, T is the first Odia film entirely based on transgenders. It is based on the life of Meghna Sahoo, the first transgender cab driver in the country. The trailer and poster (both Odia and Hindi) of T was showcased at the India pavilion of the prestigious Cannes film festival last month.
Parida, who is known for his films like ‘Mantostaan’, ‘Side A & Side B’ which were also showcased at the Cannes, said the film’s idea was brought to him by actor Debashis Sahoo. “While attending several international film festivals like Cannes, I had always thought of making a movie in my own language i.e. Odia which can be showcased at international platforms. Story of Meghna was appealing because it focused on the untold perspective of our society,” he said.
Stating that the Indian film industry has mostly portrayed the transgender community in a cliche comic and negative light, he said what everyone needs to gauge in the depiction is the fact that most of the hijras are maligned in real life and are mistreated every day of their lives. Many are forced to beg and make a living by sex work, he added.
Parida chose Debashish, who had already worked on the concept of the movie for nearly six years, as the lead character to essay the role of Meghna. The director, on his part, researched on the subject for two years before the film hit the floor. The research included several discussions with Meghna and other members of the community to understand their livelihood conditions, culture and struggles. Except for a handful of mainstream actors, the rest of the cast includes transgenders and the film has been shot at real locations where members of the community stay and work.
The film also stars Usashi Misra in the character of transgender leader Meera Parida, Hara Rath, Prasanjit Mohapatra and Ranbeir Kalsi. T has so far travelled to many international film festivals.