CHENNAI: In a world powered by the existence of media, sensitive and authentic representations of people from the LGBTQIA+ community have turned into powerful tools — for shaping the understanding of different identities, advancing inclusivity and taking those in the spectrum away from the realms of normalised secrecy. Filmmaker Divya Bharathi and author Sindhu Rajasekaran took on the task of dissecting the need for such documentation as part of Queer Chennai Chronicles’ Queer LitFest 2021, on Monday. The opening question of the night by moderator Princy (writer and artist) — on aspects of queer lives that the creators wanted to showcase to the society — flagged a riveting discussion.
“For me, intersectionality is a vital point of focus. The thought is to not just emphasise the success stories or the exceptions but to dig deep and showcase the lives of the majority who are still struggling. Experiences of the queer community in urban and rural parts are starkly different. So addressing intersectionality plays an important role in my work,” said Divya, the director of documentary films like Kakkoos and Orutharum Varela.
In Sindhu’s works, themes of love, desire, feminism and sexuality have always been poignantly explored. For the writer-filmmaker, the process of picking themes is very internal. “What you want to write should come from within you. It should appeal to you. The kural (voice) is very important and it should be loud. So loud, that you can’t escape it,” she shared.
Currently pursuing a PhD in Gender and Sexuality at Glasgow, her interest in queer language and voices have now led her to work on decolonising gender. “When we talk about queer language, we talk only about western works. That does not mean that these identities, in a local context, did not exist or that they did not speak about pleasures, loss and desires in the past. There are lots of references to queer past yet to be explored,” she detailed, discussing gender dysphoria and exploring it through her works and words. “Though I write in English, I ensure I weave in as many Tamizh words as possible and let people interpret it. I focus on exploring the feelings of the mind and the body, of love. The queer voice and experience matters and I focus on it, ensuring it’s from that perspective,” she said.
Concurring, Divya discussed how her productions — especially her latest, Chaatla, which is based on the lives of transgender sex workers — ensured that it holds the space for authentic voices and representation. “I am against the idea of cis-hetero persons playing queer and trans roles. In Chaatla (feature film), my actors included those from the trans community, who engage in sex work. It was they, who guided me through the process,” recounted Divya, adding how one has to fight to reclaim platforms and take more dialogues of queer lives into the mainstream.
“I agree with Divya. We won’t be handed out these spaces so we need to continue fighting for them. We need to keep creating. And when you are writing about yourself or other queer characters, write about individuality and the differences. That’s the only way we will mainstream ourselves and not cater to anyone’s stereotype. Andha unmai ezhudhapadanum,” concluded Sindhu.