Movie talks about third gender plight

Nagpur: Possibly the first in country, movie ‘Hansa — Ek Sanyog’ depicts the plight of people born in third gender. The teaser of the movie, made under the banner of Chitragrahi Productions and produced by Suresh Sharma, was unveiled at a city hotel at an event organized by Sarathi Trust.

The trailer will be launched nationally in December and the movie is set to hit the theatres in February.

“The word transgender or ‘Kinnar’ holds a lot of stigma in society. People born with the third gender are always neglected and forced to leave their homes at a very young age, which is a practice that needs to stop. We need to create an environment that accommodates all strata of society,” said Sharma at the promotional event.

This movie narrates the life of one such child Hansa whose family members disown him. Ayush Shrivastava and Ishitifaq Khan have played the characters of Hansa. The actors underwent rigorous workshops before shoot to familiarize and sensitize themselves with the role, Sharma said.

“Many times during the shoot, eyes of our cast and crew members would well up because we could feel the pain that the child feels,” Sharma told TOI.

“I believe people connect with visual aids like movies and documentaries more, thus giving them a better way of educating masses. We have applied for a UA certification from the board and will be getting it soon,” he added.

Also present at the event were LBGTQ+ community members and activists like Anand Chandrani, Sarthi Trust CEO Nikunj Joshi, transgender activist and Lok Adalat judge Vidya Kamble and MLA Milind Mane.

“After the release of this movie, the jokes made on transgender community and name calling will hopefully stop. People will talk freely now and it will be one step towards changing the society,” said Kamble.

The movie is directed by Santosh Kashyap and Dhiraj Verma. Bollywood singer Ritu Pathak and Zakir Hussain have sung songs for the movie. The shooting was done in parts of Mumbai and Chhattisgarh and completed in a span of 40 days.

Sharma also announced that he will be launching an all-transgender talent hunt show on an entertainment channel next year.