Documentary on transgenders enters London festival

Chennai (PTI): Aimed at breaking the stereotypical depiction of the third gender in Indian cinema, a film by a city-based journalist has made it to the three-day London Transgender Film Festival in November.
The idea first came when Kanathur was on a reporting assignment to the Koothandavar festival, an annual congregation of transgenders from across the country at Koovagam, near Villupuram in Tamil Nadu.
"I worked on the script since then and the idea was to break the stereotypical portrayal of transgenders in Indian films, as objects of humour," said Prashanth Kanathur, a journalist working with Malayalam daily Mathrubhoomi, told PTI here.
The film "Nashtavarnnangal," (Missing Colours) traces the life of Karthi, a transgender, right from infancy to that of old age and death. It also depicts the protagonist's passion for painting.
"The 25-minute film also aims to show the world the talents of such persons but also their solitary confinement due to the social stigma attached with their gender," Kanathur said. 'Nashtavarnnangal' is narrated through the eyes of a research student and his journey in search of Karthi unfolds the story.
The film, produced by businessman-turned-producer N Muralidharan of Trimline Creations, has already bagged the award for best film at the Development Film Festival organised by the Madurai-based Dhan Foundation.
The film will help bring an awareness to the Western audience on the plight of transgenders in India, London Transgender Film Festival Director Col Cruise has communicated to Kanathur.