First known as Meher Chaudhary from Made in Heaven, Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju has already become a familiar face. But behind that familiarity on the OTT screen lies a layered journey of being an activist, painter, and doctor who doesn’t follow a conventional script – neither in life nor in work.
Now at the doorstep of embracing her newly-released series Kankhajura, she continues to redefine the stereotypes of queer representation in media. Asked what drew her to the new series, Gummaraju is clear: the writing which stood out – she portrays Amy, whose gender identity isn’t central to the plot. “It’s not often you read a script where a trans character is part of the story. Often, trans people are reduced to caricatures,” she reflects, adding, “It was interesting to see a trans person in a story; but it’s a small part of the entire story. It’s almost irrelevant to the character’s journey and the story.”
Contrasting to her role as Meher, for Gummaraju, the journey to be Amy was about learning and unlearning alike. “Amy exists in a semi-urban world where she doesn’t need to be graceful. That made me reconnect with parts of myself I had tucked away, like my comfort with a bit of masculinity,” says the 27-year-old.
While Meher was poised, elegant, and polished, Amy allowed her to breakfree from rigid notions of femininity. “As a doctor earlier and then as an actor, there have been several layers of femininity that I’ve had to subconsciously learn, but Amy is none of those. It was freeing to let go of all of that,” she shares.
Being a familiar face in mainstream media, Gummaraju acknowledges the strides Indian media has made when it comes to queer representation. “Conversations have started, and that’s progress. I’m grateful for my opportunity to become a representation that I wanted to see. It can be challenging on some days to be that but at the same time, it’s a privilege to break that glass ceiling. But we’re still at a stage where representation often gets diluted in the chaos of market uncertainties,” says the Bengaluru-based actor.
Despite this, she remains hopeful. Kankhajura ranked among the top five shows of its release week, which she believes is signalling that audiences are open to new kinds of stories. “If we can have a trans character in a 2025 series that is well received, it tells me we’re moving forward – even if it is slowly,” she affirms, adding, “There are more good things to come – we are beyond just trans actors, we are actors.”
Looking ahead, Gummaraju wants to continue choosing roles that offer depth and go beyond her gender identity, with some dream roles already on her wishlist. “Something like Vidya Balan’s in Kahaani. A woman who happens to be pregnant, dealing with complex challenges – not defined by her gender,” she says. “If cis men have been able to play trans characters for so long, why should we as trans women not be allowed to play cis characters? I would love to play a pregnant cis woman,” she points out.
As the Pride Month unfolds, her message to her fans, especially from the queer community is clear. “There will be bad days. But you get through them. Keep showing up for yourself. That’s how you become the most powerful version of who you’re meant to be,” she signs off.