'Treat hijras like normal human beings'
Meenakshi Sinha, TNN | May 3, 2011, 03.36pm IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Treat-hijras-like-normal-human-beings/articleshow/8151919.cms (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Treat-hijras-like-normal-human-beings/articleshow/8151919.cms)
Bollywood has often portrayed eunuchs or hijras as either villains or comical creatures.
Garish make-up, manic clapping, crude gestures - these are some stereotypical images of the community that Hindi films have cemented over the years. But now, a recently released feature film claims to depict eunuchs with more sensitivity and hopes to change audience perceptions about the community.
The low-budget movie called, Queens! The Destiny of Dance, stars Seema Biswas as guru amma, the head of a eunuch family, and Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, the celebrity transgender. "The film shows the hijra community is vulnerable and draws attention to the discriminations they face in life," says director David Atkins.