The Nepal Weekly 
August 22, 2023
Famous Bollywood actress and Miss Universe1994 winner Sushmita Sen has hit the OTT with the title Tali. The 46 year old Indian actress posted in her Instagram to announce the much awaited film the other day posting a picture of herself with both hands in clapping position. Tali bajaungi nahi, bajwaungi, she writes, which means, “I won’t clap but make others clap.”
The film released on the OTT on August 15 portrays the real life of India’s third gender activist Gauri Sawant, a transgender and the trustee of Sau Savali Foundation. She is known for selflessly helping people suffering from HIV AIDS. The film has been written by Kshitish Patwarthan and directed by Ravi Jadav.
Gauri Sawant’s character proclaims that her fight is for ‘identity, survival, and equality’ – the three cornerstones to a life with dignity. The creators of Talali are Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartik D Nishandar, who gave the audience a six-episode mini-series about Gauri’s life.
Taali revolves around Shreegauri Sawant, originally born Ganesh Sawant in Pune to a loving mother and a close-minded police officer. Ganesh’s father has a tough time accepting that his son might be female, and that was the root of the main conflict between them. Suddenly, Ganesh’s mother passes away, which increases the gap between Ganesh and his father. His sister is unable to get a grip on the situation at home. Ganesh, on the other hand, starts relating himself to plenty of transwomen but is appalled by their financial and mental states. He walks away from his home as a teen-ager, starts identifying himself as a woman, works tirelessly for sex workers, and speaks up for the trans community so that they are treated with dignity. Her social work is stalled because, as a trans woman, she has no right to do anything in the country. She files a case at the Supreme Court to win recognition. Thus begins her fight to secure basic human rights, and this forms the main story of Taali.
