A good clap for ‘Taali’

By Monika W

As soon as a film is made about the theme of gender and sexual minority communities, there is a lot of discussion about the selection of characters. Some argue that whoever owns the story should be given a chance to tell it. And others say that whoever is selected will succeed if he can do justice to that story.

Because of the sensitive subject matter, those who have been able to perform it will garner a lot of praise. And if they can’t make it, their ‘career’ sinks, and they abuse them.

The same was seen in the recently released web series ‘’Tali; Bajaungi Nahi Bajwaungi.’’ The title of the series also justifies the story well. Sushmita Sen, who had been away from acting for a long time, suddenly appeared in the screen. She really got lots of applause from the audience and critics.

Along with her acting, her makeup also caught the attention of the audience. Watching the series with only six episodes makes us realize that she also belongs to this community.

A lot of attention has been paid to the small details of every character’s makeup. When Ganesh fully becomes Gauri, his whole-body undergoes change. Big red mark on the forehead, sticky lipstick on the lips, nail polish on all fingers, and a saree wrapped over a fitted blouse. However, black spots appear on the cheeks and chin after cutting the facial hair. Masculine body with a thick voice and cross-legged posture. That’s why it looks very sensitive in makeup.

Based on the biography of India’s famous transgender activist, Gauri Shawant, the series is about her battle with her emotions. It is a fight with your family and society. It is a battle for existence. And the battle of identity. Although it is the story of Gauri’s battle, it represents every transgender woman.

Ganesh was born as the youngest son in the family of a policeman. He does not want to be like the ‘son’ defined by society. In the question of who will become what in school, he dreams of becoming a mother and doing housework. After that, from the battle he had to do with his own feelings to the fight with the state for his identity, is the main essence of the series. In it, the Supreme Court recognized it as the third gender’ in 2014, and she became the brand ambassador of the Maharashtra Election Committee in 2019.

The best part of this series is that ‘Gauri’ is not made a subject of pity or laughter. And another good aspect is that, to some extent, the things happening in this community have also been shown. From Ganesh to becoming Gauri, she had to suffer as much as she struggled to maintain her vision and sustain herself in her community. The condition of those who are forced into the sex trade and the condition of the children born from them are also shown to some extent. And it has been shown regarding those who take advantage of the community with false identities and defame them.

And it was also shown that even though she lived in this community, she had to fight for his identity. Even if they get their identity, they don’t have a relationship with society, and they are not getting work. So, the series attempts to show the compulsion to engage in sexual acts or to beg on the streets. It is necessary to make more films and series on such topics keeping in mind their sensibilities.